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/
JOUENAL OF DISCOUESES
BT
PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
HIS COUNSELLOES,
THE TWELVE APOSTLES
BXPORTED BT
GEO. T. QIBBS, JOHN IBYIim AKD OTHERS.
BBBPBOmrLLT BBDIOATBD TO THB LATTRB-]>iLT SAZBTS IIT ALL THB WORLB.
LIVERPOOL :
PEINTBD AND PUBLISHED BY ALBERT CARRINGTON 42, ISLINGTON.
LONDON :
UimB-D^T SAINTS* B iOK DBTOfT, 10, D0B81T BTBEKP, BRIDE STBEBT, LIVIBPOOL BOAS.
MLIVaTOK.
1881.
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XVTKSED -IT stationers' HAUL.
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PREFACE.
In presenting the Twenty-first Volume of the Journal of Discourses
i
to our readers, we pray that those who read the counsels therein giveiii
may do so by the light of the Holy Spirit of Truth, that great benefit
may be obtained therefrom, and that by a wise application of the teachingiB
of God's servants, from time to time, the Saints may finally be exalted in
His Heavenly Kingdom.
THE PUBLISHER
J,: .
»
w
JNDEX
Aefaoe ▼.
JQfke object of the GatherinA^ of the Saints... Conflict between
the Powerii of God and Evil.. .The World growing Worse...
Work of God pronesBiog... Exhortation to lighteouBness
and the spirit of Union. John Taylor. Aug. 31, 1879 1
Law of Celestial Marriage... The Resurrection and Jadgment...
Extent of tlie Mission of the Savior.
Joseph F. Smith. Dee. 7, i> 9
Bf marks made at the Funeral Services of Jos. M. Cain.
"' ' John Taylor. Feb. 8, 1880 14
Best signifies Changif . . . Timie as related to Eterni ty . . .Wonder-
*« fill mechanism of the human body ... Integrity in the Face '
of Opposition Erastus Snow. Oct 1879 22
k411 Temporal ConcemsKeed the Attention of the Saints... We
Should Prepare for the Evils Coming Upon the Earth...
Co-operation and tbe United Order... Funetions of the Two
Priesthoods... Home Manufactures. JohnTayh>r. April 9^ „ 29
Salvation Dependent Upon Effort and Progress.. We Should
ISot be Discouraged by Diffieulty. H. W. Naisbitt, Nov. 23« „ ' 38
Tbe Word of the Lor.d to the Church Given Through the
Amthorities... Authorities Should be Sustained... Powers of
(^ the PrieadhojDd... Sphere of Woipan. C. W. Penrose. . Nov. 29, u ' ^
Co-operation and the United Ord^r.^.The Saints Should be
Governed by the Law and WiU of God...The Approaching
<^ Calamities. Upon thp World,. .Should be WiUing to Forsake , .
'^ Earthly Interests for the Gospel's Shke. John Taylor. Sept2l, 1878 63
VL INDEX.
ComprehensiTeneM of the Lord's Prayer... The Rule and GoTem-
xnent of God...The Revelation of the Father and Son to
Joseph Smith, and the Bestowal upon Him of the Priest-
hood... Development of Theocratic Laws and Principles...
Object of Gathering... Religious Freedom... Our Relationa
with the General Government John Taylor. Jan. 4, 1880 61
Spiritual Gifts Attainahle...Unchangeablene88 of €k>d. .Univer-
sality of the Rip[ht of Revelation... The Saints Glorify the
God of Revelation... Necessity of Self-government.
Geo. Q. Cannon. Oct. 5, 1879 It
Insufficiency of mere Belief in Christ.. .Extent and Application
of the Atonement... Necessity of Divine Authority to
enable Man to Administer the Gospel ...Joseph Smith
Called of God. C.W.Penrose. Ap'125, 1880 »
Effects of the Preachingof the Gospel... Object of the Gathering
..Jdanifestations of the Ancients to Joseph Smith... The
Gospel to Departed Spirits... Duties of the Saints to each
other.. .The kind of Men Wanted to uo on Mission-s.
, . . . . John Taylor. Ap'l 13, 1879 91
The Principle of Revelation and its Application to the Several
Phases of Life... How the Brotherhood of Man shall be
Evolved. H. W. NaisUtt. Mar. 7. 1880 101
Eternal Nature of the Gospel... The Principle of Life and
: Increase... The Source of All Intelligence... Right of the
' Creator to Govern the Creature... Duties of the Saints.
John Taylor. . Nov. 28, 1879 m
No Man Can Build Up «he Ohnrch of Christ Without the
Priesthood ..Responsibility of the Priesthood... Christ
Coming in this Generation . . .Great Changes and Judgments
Approaching... Exhortation to Highteouaness.
Wilfoid Woodruff. Jane 6, 1680 121
f •
On the Book of Mormon... Destinv of the Kingdom of Gkxl and
the Saints. . ' Orson Pratt. Sept. 7, 1879 1&
Difference Between the Latter-day Saints and all other Pro- . .
fessing Christians. C. W. Penrese. ApU 11, . 1880 137
Progress of the Saints to Union in Faith and Practice ... The
United Order. Orson Pratt Nov. 1, 1879 1^
How a Knowledge of God is Obtained... The Gospel to th«-
Dead ... Various Dispensations uf the Most High to Man-
kind ... Power of the Priesthood ... Restoration of the
Gospel Through Joseph Smith .. Failings o£ the Saints...
Corrupt^onp of the Wicked. .
The Book of Mormon an Authentic Record.
Southern States Mission.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Priesthood and Saints Gene-
rally ... Zion Shall Not be Overcome ... The Wicked Shall
Slay the Wicked ... The End Near. Wilford Woodruff, July 3, 1860 189
. John Taylor.
Dec. 7,
1879 155
Orson Pratt.
Sept. 21,
1879 1'-
4
John Morgan.
May 23,
1860 179
'••I
l>'l)hX. VlL
Pre-exintence, in Spiritu^il Form^ of Man» the Lower Aniioftli j
and the Darth ... The Temporal Pj^bationary State ... The
MilleDniUm ... The Final Change. Orson Pratt Nov. 12, 1879 197
, t • *
3|ift«iaing the iiujthoritiee ... Power of the Priesthood ... Faith-
fulness Kequired, etc. John Taylor. Mar. 1, 1880 2QJ(
■V
She iMpiraliDn ol the Lord's Servants ... Rerelation :.. The
Resurrection, etc G. W. Penrose, Aug, ,8. 1880 220
Man to be Jadged by Lav ... A Law Given to All Things...The . .
Latir of Gravitation'... How it Varies by Distance ... Law
of . Projectiop ... Law ^f - EUifitic Forms, having tbie same . . ' '
length of year ... Law of Orbital Velocity ... Its Varifttions
Depending on Distance ... Wise Adaptation ... Intelligent
Selections of Law ... Laws of Nature Counteracted.
Orson Pratt Aug. 8, 1880 232
The Great Principles of Truth as Taught by Revelation to the
Ancients, and also to the Saints in Our Day.
John Taylor. Mar. 21, 1880 241
The Power of God to Communicate Intelligence ... Difference
In Capacity between the Mortal and the Immortal ... The
Future of Man, etc. Orson Pratt. June 13, 1880 256
Natural Fulfillment of Prophecy ... The Israelites and the
Gentiles. Geo. Q. Oauuon. Nov. 2, 1879 264
The Gathering of the Saints ... Their SufTerings ... Ancient
Predictions Fulfilled ... Crickets and their Miraculous
Destruction ... Crops Saved ... Desert Made Fruitful ...
God*s Kingdom in the Mountains ... Its Future Destiny...
The Coming of the Lord. Orson Pratt. June 20, 1880 272
Responsibilities of the Priesthood ... Exhortation to Faith-
fulness, etc. Wilford Woodruff, July 4, 1880 28X
Visions of Muses ... Rebellion in Heaven ... Satan cast down...
Our First Parents Fell ... Before the Fall they were Im-
mortal... After the Fall, Mortal ...The Command to
Multiply was given to two Immortal Beings ... This
Command more fully to be carried into effect, after the
Resurrection, etc. Orson Pratt. July 18. 1880 286-
Revelation, Prophesying, Predictions of the Servants of God,
etc Wilford Woodruff. Aug. I, 1880 296
A Double Birthday.. .The Authority of the Priesthood, etc.
Orson Pratt Sept 19, 1880 303^
Remarks following Elder Orson Pratt's Wilfoxd Woodruff. „ ,» 1880 314
Organization of the First Presidency ... Responsibility of tho
Saints, «tc. Wilford Woodruit Oct 10, 1880 Z\^
Introductory Remarks... Heaven and Barth to Pass Away...
Not Anaihilated ... Heaven and Earth not Created from
Nothing ... Materials Eternal ... Materials under the
dominion of laws ... Central and Orbital Forces ...
Compound and Elementary Substances ... Earth in tlif
Beginning . . No Mortality, then known, on this creation
...The Fall... The Earth's Baptism in Water ... Ita
baptism in fire... Its bajitism by the Spirit ...Its Justifi-
cation ... Its Sanctification ... Its Purification ... Its Thou-
sand Years' Rest, etc. Orson Pratt Aug. 19, 1880 3L
INDEX.
The Increase and Future of the Saints ... True Education, etc
H. W. NaUbitt Aug. 2»,
18S0 331
l8Sl9ti
Jul 3» ISSL^U
!rbf Eternities Before the Saints ... The Sublimity of the
(xospel, etc. John Taylor. Jan. 2,
The Gospel, — A' Practical and Comprehennva Religion, and
. the Means of Eternal Jlxaltation. • . CL W. Penrose
^e Or«ler and Duties of the Priesthood, etc. John Taylor. Aiig. 8, 1880 351
The right of the First-Bom, ct& Erastas Snow.
Opposition to the Work of €K)d, eta John Taylor.
M
<■
ii'.
a '.
iz.
t'.. .. .
A
i: ;
JOUENAL OF DISCOUESES.
DISCOUKSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
DELIVERED AT LOGAN, ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, AUGUST, 31ST, 1879.
(Reported hy Geo. F, Oibhs.)
THE OBJECT OF THE GATHKRING OF THE SAINTS — CONFLICT BETWEEN
THE POWERS OF GOD AND EVIL — THE WORLD GROWING WORSE —
WORK OF GOD PROGRESSING — ^EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND
THE SPIRIT OF UNION.
If the congregation will try to be
quiet I will endeavor to talk to them
a little in my way.
It is some time since I met with
the Saints in this place, not because
I was not desirous to come but be-
cause circumstances have controlled
*nd prevented me. We come here,
now, more particularly to attend to
a little affair associated with your
Temple. There seems to have been
a little misunderstanding about its
construction, and as we have a
Temple Committee and architects for
the Church, we thought it best to
have the brethren composing this
committee and the architects,
present, that we might confer with
them, so that everything pertaining
to this building might be done pro-
perly according to order and correct
principles.
Elder Truman 0. Angell was sus-
tained at the General Conference as
No. 1.
Architect of the Church, and William
H. Folsom and Truman 0. Angell
Jr., as his assistants, and were there-
fore the proper persons to consult,
in the adjustment of any matters
that might be in questionu
I speak of this as one of those
things in connection with the holy
priesthood, and with the building of
this sacred edifice that we are erect-
ing to the name of the Loi-d. We
found that a sUght change had been
made from the original plan, which
however is not material, and there
will no difficulty arise therefrom.
I thought I would mention this be-
cause people generally like to under-
stand things as they exist. It is
much better to tell things right out
as they are than to hear of whisper-
ings about this and the other thing,
which in many instimces *re inaw-
rect.
We are pleased to find the pvo-
Vol. XXL
JOUBNAL OF DISCK)X71tS£S.
gress you are makiiig in the erection
of this temple, the energy and zeal
that are being displayed and the
liberality that has been manifested
by the people of this temple district.
We are engaged, as has been men-
tioned by Brother Snow, in a great
work ; in the work that prophets
and seers have irazed upon and pro-
phesied of, namely the gathering
together of the Lord's elect, the
building of temples for the redemp-
tion of the' living and the dead ; in
the establishment of the kingdom of
our God. These things have been
more or less understood according to
the power of the spirit and the light
of revelation that has rested upon
his prophets ever since the world
began. It is difficult, as has been
remarked, for us sometimes to real-
ize the position we occupy — the re-
lation we sustain to our heavenly
Father — the responsibility that rests
upon us and the various duties we
have to perform in the fulfillment of
the purposes of God ; in the interest
of a world lying in wickedness ; in
the building up of the Zion of our
God, in the establishment of right-
eousness and in bringing to pass
those great and glorious principles
which have been contemplated by
the Almighty "before the world
rolled into existence or the morning
stars sang together for joy." It is
our lot to be placed upon |the earth
in this time. It is our lot to have
our minds enlightened by the Spirit,
intelligence and revelation that flows
from God. It is our lot to operate
and co-oporate with Gk>d our heaven-
\j Father, — ^and with his Son Jesus
Christ, — and with the ancient patri-
archs, apostles and men of God who
have lived before ; and while they
are operating behind the vail in the
interests of humanity in the fulfil-
ment of the purposes of God and in
the 'establishment of righteousness
upon the earth, we are here to bper
ate with them, that we and they
may act conjointly under the influ
ence and guidance of the Almighty
and the power and Spirit of the
living God, in carrying out the de-
signs of the great Jehovah. This is
what we are here for. And it is
necessary that we should compre-
hend our position ; for in the per-
formance of our duties associated
with this work it is not as some
people seem to suppose. We have
got something else to do besides fold-
ing our arms and crying " Lullaby
baby on the tree top, when the wind
blows the cradle will rock." We
have something to do besides " sit-
ting and singing ourselves away to
everlasting bliss." It is our duty —
and God expects it of us, that we
should seek unto him for wisdom,
for guidance, for revelation and for
a knowledge of his law, that we may
be filled with the Holy Ghost and
the power of God and that we may
be enabled to magnify our calling
and priesthood and accomplish that
work which God has designed from
before the foundation of the world.
It is in reality a labor. We have
gone forth, as many have gone forth
to preach the Gospel of life and sal-
vation to a fallen world. We have
gathered in " one of a city and two
of a family;" we have combated
the errors of ages and inveighed
against the wickedness, corruptions
and strategems of wicked and un-
godly men, who have opposed us on
every hand ; and we have, with the
help of the Lord, succeeded in gather-
ing out many of the honest in heart
from among the different nations of
the earth. And we have come here
to carry out the will, purposes and
designs of God. I never supposed
that we were to come here to get
rich, to increase in worldly posses-
sions i but we came as I understand
THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC.
it in accordance with an express
command of the Most High, that we
may be taught in the knowledge of
God, that we might come to an
understanding of his laws. We are
not here to follow the devices and
desires of our own hearts ; we are
not here to carry out any particular
theory of our own ; we are not here
to build up any system of man's
creation ; but we are here simply to
do the will of God in the establish-
ment of his kingdom on the earth.
In many things however we have
not lived up to that high and glori-
ous privilege which has been pre-
sented to us ; we have been care-
less and indifferent, and it seems as
though Satan has been permitted to
try and tempt us in every possible
way. For a few years past a spirit
of greed and covetousness has run
through the land and cursed as with
a withering blight every thing it has
touched. It is as bad in its effects
upon the mind of man as any pestil-
ence or plague upon the human body.
"We have begun to run after the
things of the world ; our hearts, feel-
ings and affections, in many in-
stances, have been estranged from
God. It is time that something
should transpire to wake us up to a
sense of the position we occupy ; it
is time we realized hew God and
angels look upon men Avho are ab-
sorbed in the things of this world
instead of living up to their profes-
sions and the covenants they have
made with him.
We have many of us however
been doing a good work notwith-
standing these grievous evils. It
is true it is not always smooth sail-
ing. Sometimes we seem when a
little difficulty comes along to be
struck with amazement, as though
something very extraordinary had
happened. There is nothing very
strange about these things. " What
are you doing 1 What is the posi-
tion of affairs ] What are you going
to do *? etc. ' Those words express
the kind of feelings that actuate the
minds of the Latter-day Saints.
There has been a war ever since the
commencement of the world to the
present time between the powers
of light and the powers of
darkness. Adam, we are told, had
two sons. One was a covetous man,
a wicked man who did not fear God;
the other was a righteous man who
feared God. The wicked son, who
was instigated of the devil, said, I
will kill my brother and then I ynW
have his possessions. He did so
and it seems that this kind of feel-
ing existed until in a short time that
influence had so prevailed that
wickedness and corruption made
such rapid strides that the world
had to be swept as with a besom of
destruction, and only a very few men
were left. And then it seemed ne- ,
cessary that the same spirit and the
same power should continue ; and
hence a part of this Canaanish seed
came through the flood. Why?
That there might still be the two
powers — the power of light and the
power of darkness ; the power of
God and the power of the devil —
that the struggle and warfare among
men might still go on, so that man
might be made perfect through
suffering. Hence the seryants of
God in the different ages of the
world have had to combat with the
powers of darkness. John the Rer- «
elator speaks of a great company ef
people whom he saw arrayed ii
white, singing a new song. And on
his inquiring as to who they were,
he was told that they were they
that had washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of
the Lamb. They were they that
had come up through much tribula-
tion, therefore they were next the
JOURNAL 07 DIQCOURSI^.
throne. It is m consonance with
the fore-ordained pb-n of the Al-
mighty that a man should pass
through certain trials and diflSculties,
and be tested in every possible way,
in order to be prepared for an exal-
tation in the kingdom of God. It
was so with Job. He was peculiarly
situated. It seems that the devil
appeared among the sons of God in
heaven, as he does on earth very
frequently. When the sons of God
were assembled together, the devil
was among them, and he went, as it
appears, to instigate a feeling against
Job. The Lord said to him, " Hast
thou considered my servant Job?"
** Yes," said he, •* I have considered
him." The Lord said that Job was
a perfect and an upright man, etc.
"Oh, yes," said he, "I know all
about him. You think that Job is
a very good man ; but just let me
have a rap at him, and I will show
what Job will do." " Well," says
the Lord, " you may try him." He
went to work and concentrated the
lightning in one focus and hurled a
thunderbolt against his oldest son*s
house, where all his children were
feasting, and destroyed them. No
sooner had the messenger reported
the result ©f this catastrophe to Job
than the news came that a certain
people — I was going to say ." Chris-
lans " — ^liad fallen upon his oxen and
asses and killed his servants. They
cajled them in those days Sabeans
and Chaldeans and Hittites, I think;
we call them now-a-days Baptists,
Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. They
calleii things by different names in
diferent ages, but they are the same
cjass of people. They went after
his camels, his asses, his goats and
flll his property that they could lay
their hands on, leaving him helpless
and destitute — and he was, it is said,
the richest man of the East. Job,
in looking at his changed. situation,
summed the whole thing up in these^^
few words : " Naked came I out of
my mother's womb, and naked shall
1 return thither : the Lord gave and
the Lord hath taken away ; blessed
be the name of the Lord."
Well, the devil did not succeed
that time ; but like the lawyers who^
are after the executors, however, I
suppose he thought he would take
another shoot — serve some fresli
papers. He presented himself be-
fore the Lord the second time. And
addressing him the Lord said,.
" Well, what do you think about
Job now ]" He said his efforts had
not succeeded very well as yet ; but
" skin for skin, all that a man hath'
will he give for his life ; let me lay
my hand upon his body and he will
curse thee to thy face." " Well, I
put him into your hands, but do not
interfere with his life." The devil
then let loose something like small-
pox upon him — only it was called
by a different name in those days —
covering him with boils from the
crown of his head to the soles of his
feet, and he scraped himself with a
potsherd wallowing in ashes. And
while he was in this condition some
of his friends came along for the pur-
pose of sympathizing with him ; and
after offering a great deal of advice,
they came to the conclusion that Job
must have been a very wicked man,
or such a calamity never could have
come upon hira. And then, to cap
the climax, his wife came along, and
in her way says, Job, you are a fool
for putting up with all this ; you
have suffered enough, and were I
you I would not stand it any longer.
I would curse God and die like a
man. Job replied, " You talk like
one of the foolish women of old.
Have we not received good at the
hands of the Lord, and shall we not
also receive evil 1 The Lord gave •
and the Lord taketh away, and.
THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC.
Idessed be the name of the Lord."
And then he looked around and saw
his desolation, stripped of his child-
ren and possessions, sick and weary,
deserted by friends, laughed at by
demies and upbraided by his wife,
afflicted with a loathsome disease,
lonely, deserted and desolate, he
<;ried out, *' Though he slay me yet
will I trust in him. The lightning
may destroy my offspring, the
Sabeans and Chaldeans may rob me
of my possessions, and Satan may
be permitted to lay his hand upon
me and smite with this loathsome
disease, and although I may be
clothed in sackcloth and have to
to wallow in ashes, and go down
into the grave, and worms prey upon
this body and crawl and revel in my
brain, yet in my flesh shall I see God;
I shall see him for myself, and not
for another." Inspired by the spirit
of revelation and the power and light
of the Holy Ghost, he could say, I
know in whom I have believed ;
and although I do not know — and
it matters not — where I may go, or
where my resting place may be, yet
I shall stand in the latter day upon
the earth, and shall behold my Ee-
deemer, whom I shall see for myself
and not for another. This is the
kind of religion he had. But we
think it very strange sometimes that
we should have a little bother ; w.e
think we ought to go along peaceably,
having * nothing to disturb our
equanimity, that everything should
move smoothly and pleasantly along
until we reach the celestial abode of
the Father, to associate with the
gods. Some of us would make curi-
ous gods, if such were to be our lot ;
but we may rest satisfied that such
will not be our lot. The Lord does
not do things in that kind of a way.
When we were traveling abroad
peeachingto the world, among other
iWngs we predicted was that the
world would grow worse and worse,
deceiving: and being deceived. Thou-
sands of our Elders have preached
among the nations to the effect that
God was having a controversy with
them ; that he would arise and shak6
terribly the earth and vex the na-
tions sorely. Many of you Elders
before me to-day have proclaimed
these things ; and you have told the
people that empires would be cast
down and the kingdoms overthrown
and the nations wasted away, but
that the work and purposes of God
would grow and increase until the
kingdoms of this world should be-
come the kingdoms of our God and
his Christ. Are you astonished,
then, that these things should begin
to be fulfilled] Quite a favorite
theme has been with many of our
elders, that the " little stone " spo-
ken of in the Scriptures has been
cut out of the mountain without
hands, and it is destined to strike
the image whose head was of gold,
breast and arms of silver, belly and
thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet
part of iron and part of clay, upon
its feet, breaking it to pieces ; and
that the materials, which represent
the various nations of the earth, com-
posing the image should become like
the chaff of a summer's threshing-
floor, carried away by the wind un-
til there was no place found lor it.
This is exactly as it has been fore-
told many thousands of years ago,
and you brethren are perfectly fami-
liar with it from having preached it
both to the world and to the Latter-
day Saints. When this little stone,
then, as it rolls forth, strikes the
toes of the great image, are you sur-
prised that there should be a little
kicking? You don't like to have
your toes trodden upon anymore than
anybody else. The fact is, the same
great conflict is going on between
the two great powers ; the only dif-
e
( .
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ference is that we are in much better
circumstances than many who Hved
in earlier days who had to wander
about in sheep and goat skins, seek-
ing the dens and caves of rocks as
places of retreat and safety. You,
my brethren and sisters, do not look
to-day as though you w«re pushed
to such extremes, do you? I think
it another kind of spectacle. We
are an integral part of this great
government of the United States,
not a very large part, but a very
small part ; and we have assumed a
species of political importance ; and
every now and then they get after
us without knowing hardly the why
or the wherefore. They talk some-
times quite loudly about our cprrup-
tions. Why, as I told them some
time ago in Salt Lake City, in talk-
ing about this matter, there is more
wickedness carried on in Washing-
ton, where they talk so much about
purity, in one day, than there is in
these valleys of the mountains in six
months, the Gentiles and all thrown
in. And yet it is quite important
that they should call upon a num-
ber of European nations to help them
to correct the morals of two hundred
thousand people in these far distant
mountains. What magnanimity !
Well, what about it ? Not much.
But there is this much about it —
that this nation, nor the powers of
Europe, nor any other power, can
overturn the Church and Kingdom
of God that he has established on
the earth. It will go on in spite of
all the powers of earth and hell.
You have heard that prophesied
over and over again, and I will pro-
phesy it again to-day. And every
power that Hit its hand against the
kingdom of God will be wasted away:
for God will have a controversy with
the nations who oppose his work,
and he will manage them in his own
way ; he will put a hook in their
jaws and will lead them whitherso-
ever he will. The wrath of man shall
praise him, and the remainder he
has said he will restrain. Hence I
feel a good deal like taking the ad-
vice of Jesus : " Fear not them
which kill the body, but are not able
to kill the soul : but rather fear
him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell."
The only fear I have for the Lat-
ter-day Saints is that they will not
live their religion. And I call upon
you here to-day to lay aside your
covetousness, your greed and your
avarice, and act honorably and just
one with another as your brethren,
humble yourselves before God and
seek unto him for his guidance, and
he will l\e\p you, he will bless ani
sustain you, and he will deliver you.
And I say unto the priesthood, be
one ; for if you are not one you are
not of God. No contention, no
strife, no backbiting, no hard words;
but let us have the love of God
dwelling and welling up in our hearts,
and extending to all men. But war
against evil, corruption and iniquity
of every kind, wherever found;,
stand firm in upholding and main-
taining the principles of truth as
they have been revealed to us, be-
fore high heaven, before all men.
We want to be united, and, as Paul
says, ** Put on the whole armor of
God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. For
we wrestle .not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
Paul had to maintain the truth as
he had received it in the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation;,
and we have to do the same, and God
will sustain us in our endeavors.
But if we are trembly and shaky,,
our religion is not worth much to us^
THE OBJJEOT 01* GA.THEIUNG, ETC.
\
We have a few among us who say,
*.* Oh, don't ! you'd better take it
easy ! Keep quiet ! You may
offend the devil, for what I know,
We have a few dollars somewhere,
and we are afraid something will
disturb them, and the property we
have made will go !" Well, let it go;
who cares about it % " Love not the
world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not
in him." We ought to be governed
by correct principles and act wisely
and consistently, and treat all men
alike. There are a great many who
have the idea that there are certain
classes that have rights which do
not belong to others. 1 do not know
of any such people. We are all the
free-born sons of Zion ; we all par-
take of the holy priesthood, and we
all have our rights and privileges
with God. We want to act accord-
ing to correct principle, and be gov-
erned by the law of God, not one
law for one man and another for an-
other man. But operating together
and maintaining one another's rights
upon the pure principles of truth
and equity, as they exist in the
bosom of God. When the things
spoken of referring to the last days
shall transpire, righteousness shall
be the girdle of his loins, and faith-
fulness the girdle of his reins, and it
will be as was remarked by Brother
Richards, and as the Prophet Jere-
miah foretold : "I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it
in their hearts ; and muU be their
God, and they shall be my people."
As we adhere to the principles of law,
equality, justice and right, and are
govexned by those principles. The
man who is governed by the Spirit
of God and lives in the light of re-
velation, has the law of God written
on his heart and it is engraven in
his inward parts. He feels as Jesus
did about these tlxings. It was -said
to him on a certain occasion, ** Be-
hold, thy mother and thy brethren
stand without, desiring to speak
with thee." When he said, referring
to his disciples, "Behold my mother
and my brethren ; For whosoever
shall do the will of my Father which
is in heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister and mother." That is
the kind of feeling. We want to be
united in our hearts and feelings :
united to each other ; united to the
holy priesthood, bound together by
those indissoluble ties that will unite
us in time and through eternity,
according to the principles of the
everlasting covenant which we have
entered into which reaches beyond
the vail.
We have a struggle. Some of the
"Amalekites" and Hittites are
abroad. But who cares? Satan
works for a little while, and he will
work and no doubt do his utmost as
long as he is permitted ; and when
the time comes for him to be re-
moved, God will remove him. We
may struggle as we please and do as
we please in regard to these things,
but we are all in the hands of God.
As has been remarked, it is quite
easy for the Lord to handle us in
these mountains. He can send grass-
hoppers if he wants to ; he can with-
hold the snows from coming on our
mountains if he wants to, and thus
cause drouth in the summer season
and he can send the moths to des-
troy our fruit ; all of which we have
more or less already experienced.
In fact he can do witf^ us just, as he
pleases and we cannot help ourselves.
Our only resource is in him. We
want to be right ourselves^ in our
families, evei;y man» wifcU himself.
Forsake your sins, and (jjeave \jnto
God. Pay your titl^ings ,and jour
offerings and comply with the laws
of God in every particular so that
JOUBNAL OF DlbOCyURSXS.
you may feel that you are acceptable
before the Almighty, and then teach
jour families the same thing.
Humble yourselves as families before
God. You seventies, high priests
and elders. Do the same thing as
quorums and seek for the guidance
and blessing of the Lord. Have
you cheated or defrauded anybody 1
If you have, then make things right,
and try forever afterwards to be
governed by correct principles. And
then let there be perfect union in all
the various quorums and among all
the people ; and let us all say in our
hearts and lives, whatever the Lord
commands us to do that we will ob-
serve and do ; and let all Israel do
the same, and the devils then may
howl and all hell may boil over, but
God Avill preserve his people, he will
stand as our shield and buckler and
•ur strong defence.
We have got this kingdom to
build up ; and it is not a phantom,
but a reality. We have to do it,
God expects it at our hands. We
have got to have — now do not tell
any body for it is a great secret ; we
have got to have political power.
What, will not that be treason 1
Perhaps so, but no matter ; we have
got to go on and progress in these
things. We have got to establish a
government upon the principle of
righteousness, justice, truth and
equality and not according to the
many false notions that exist among
men. And then the day is not far
distant when this nation ^ill be
shaken from centre to circumference.
And now, you may write it down,
any of you, and I will prophesy it
in the name of God. And then will
be fuMled that prediction to be found
in one of the revelations given
through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Those who will not take up their
sword to fight Against their neighbor
must needs flee to Zion for safety.
And they will come, saying, we do
not know anything of the principles
of your religion, but we perceive
that you are an honest community ;
you administer justice and righte-
ousness, and we want to live with
you and receive the protection of
your laws, but as for your religion
we will talk about that some other
time. Will we protect such peopled
Yes, all honorable men. When the
people shall have torn to shreds the
Constitution of the United States
the Elders of Israel will be found
holding it up to the nations of the
earth and proclaiming liberty and
equal rights to all men, and extend-
ifig the hand of fellowship to the
oppressed of all nations. This is
part of the programme, and as long
as we do what is right and fear
God, he will help us and stand by
us under all circumstances.
Therefore, Latter-day Saints, fear
God ; work the works of righteous-
ness ; live your religion ; keep the
commandments and humble your-
selves before him j be one, and be
united with the holy priesthood and
with each other, and I will tell you
in the name of God that Zion will
rise and shine and the power of
God will rest upon her; and her
glory will be made manifest, and
we will rejoice in the fulness of the
blessings of the Gospel of peace; and
' the work of God will go on and in-
crease until the kingdoms of this
world shall become the kingdoms of
our God and his Christ, and every
creature in the heaven and on the
earth and under the earth will be
heard to say. Blessing, and glory,
and honor and praise and power,
might and majesty and dominion be
ascribed to him that sits upon the
throne and to the Lamb for ever
and ever. Amen.
LAW OF CKLICSTIAL MARRIAGX.
9
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH,
Delivered at the Funesal Sebvices over the Remains of Elder
William Clayton, Held in the 17th Ward Meeting House, Salt
Lake City, Dec. 7th, 1879.
LAW OF celestial MARRIAGE — THE RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT —
extent of the MISSION OF THE SAVIOR.
By request of President John
Taylor, I arise to make a few re-
marks. I deeply and sincerely sym-
pathize with the family, the wives
and children of the deceased, Bro.
William Clayton, who remain to
mourn the loss of the society of their
husband and father for a little season.
And yet, when we consider all the
circumstances, we may conclude that
we have not very great cause to
mourn. For when a man has lived
to a good old age, worn out as it
were through toil, passes away, we
can realize at least that he has ac-
complished his mission, that he has
performed his work on this earth,
and is ready to return to the father
from whence he came ; behind the
vail.
Brother Clayton had reached a
ripe age, after laboring unceasingly
among his brethren from his first
connection with the Church.
He has had a long and varied expe-
rience among this people. He was
a friend and companion of the Pro-
phet Joseph Smith, and it was to
his pen to a very great extent that
we are indebted for the history of
the Church — that is, the history of
tiie Prophet Joseph more particu-
larly, during his acquaintance with
him and the time he acted for him
as his private secretary, in the days
of Nauvoo. We have the journals
which he kept during that time, in
the Historian's Office, from which —
in connection with those of Elders
Willard Richards and Wilfoi-d
Wood ruif and the Times arid Seasons,
a publication of the Church at that
time — we have obtained the history
the Church during that period. It
was his pen that wrote for the first
time the re /elation in relation to the
eternity of the marriage covenant
and of a plurality of wives. Al-
though that revelation had been
given to the Prophet Joseph many
years biefore, it was not written un-
til the 12th of July, 1843, at which
time Elder William Clayton, acting
as a scribe for the Prophet, wrote it
from his dictation.
I am happy to say that he has
left on record a statement in the
shape of an affidavit, prepared by
himself, in relation to this import-
ant subject, for it is a subject that
is of the most vital importance, not
only to the Latter-day Saints, but
to the whole world ; for without the
knowledge contained in that reve-
lation, we never could consummate
the object of our mission to this
10
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
earth, we never could fulfill the
purposes of God in this estate.
I have this paper in my posses-
sion, and have had for a number of
months past. In fact, it was writ-
ten at my request, and then given
into my care, and I have preserved
it with a view, when thought pro-
per, to have it published. And as
it is a sermon of itself, it would
perhaps be more interesting than
anything I could say on the pre-
sent occasion, and therefore, with
President Taylor's permission, I will
read it to the congregation.
[The affidavit was then read by
Elder Smith.]
He then continued :
As I before said, I felt to read
this document because of the in-
struction it would afford, and for
the further object of showing that
although *' he is dead, he yet speak-
eth." For this testimony of Bro-
ther Clayton will stand forever,
though his body moulders into
dust. And 1 am, and so was the
deceased when living, at the defi-
ance of the world to dispute those
statements. They are made from
personal knowledge derived from
personal associations with the Pro-
phet Joseph Smith himself, not with
a view to gain notoriety, but rather
to leave behind him his testimony
with regard to this important prin-
ciple. He has done so. And as
he has here stated, as having come
from the mouth of the Prophet, this
doctrine of eternal union of hus-
band and wife, and of plural mar-
riage, is one of the most important
doctrines ever revealed to man in
any age of the world. Without it
man would come to a full stop ;
without it we never could be exalt-
ed to associate with and become
gods, neither could we attain to
the power of eternal increase, or
the blessings pronounced upon
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the far
thers of the faithful.
There are but a few witnesses
now living in relation to the com-
ing forth of this revelation; there
never were many that were inti-
mately acquainted with the pro-
phet and his teaching upon this
subject. I look around me and see
a number of persons in this assem-
bly whose hair has grown grey in
the service of God, and who had an
intimate acquaintance with our
martyred prophet ; but few, if any
of them, were so closely identified
with him in this matter as Brother
Clayton.
There are, however, enough wit-
nesses to these principles to esta-
blish them upon the earth in such
a manner that they never can be
forgotten or stamped out. For
they will live ; they are destined to
live, and also to grow and spread
abroad upon the face of the earth,
to be received and accepted and
adopted by all the virtuous, by all
the pure in heart, by all who love
the truth, and seek to serve Him
and keep His commandments ; they
are bound to prevail, because they
are true principles.
Now we are called upon to pay
our last respects to Brother Clayton.
His spirit has taken its flight ; it
has gone to the Father from whence
it came, as is taught in the Book of
Mormon. When the spirit leaves
the body, it returns, says the pro-
phet, immediately to God, to be
assigned to its place, either to asso-
ciate with the good and the noble
ones who have lived in the Paradise,
of God, or to be confined in the
** prison" house to await the resur-
rection of the body from the grave.
Therefore we know that Brother
Clayton has gone ta God, gone to
receive the partial judgment of the
Almighty, which pertains to the
LAW OF CELESTIAL MAlUtUGi:, ETC.
11
period intervening between the
death of the body and the resurrec-
tion of the body, or the separation
of the spirit from the body, and
their uniting together again. This
judgment is passed upon the spirit
alone. But there will come a time
which will be after the resurrec-
tion, when the body and spirit shall
be reunited, when the final judg-
ment will be passed on every man.
This is in accordance with the vis-
ion of the Apostle John the Eeve-
lator.
*• And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God, and the
books were opened, and another
book was opened, which is the book
of life; and the dead were judged
out of those things which were
written in the books, according to
their works.
" And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it; and death and
hell were cast into the lake of fire.
That is the second death.
" And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire."
That is the final judgment, which
we will all receive after we have
performed this our earthly mission.
The Savior did not finish his
work when he expired on the cross,
when he cried out "It is finished."
He, in using those words, had no
reference to his great mission to
the earth, but merely to the agonies
which he suffered. The Christian
world I know say he alluded to the
great work of redemption. This,
however, is a great mistake, and is
indicative of the extent of their
knowledge of the plan* of life and
3alvation. I say he referred merely
to the agonies of death, and the
sufferings He felt for the wicked-
ness of men who would go so far
aa to crucify their Redeemer. It
was this feeling, and this alope^ that
prompted him to cry out in the
agony of His soul, " It is finished,"
and then He expired.
But his work was not completed ;
it was in fact only begun. If he
had stopped here instead of his
being the Savior of the world,, he,
as well as all mankind, would have
perished irredeemably, never to
have come forth out of the grave ;
for it was designed from the begin-
ning that he should be the first
fruits of them that slept; it was
part of the great plan that he
should burst the bands of death,
and gain the victory over the grave.
If therefore his mission had ceased
when he gave up the ghost, the
world would have slumbered in the
dust in interminable death, never
to have risen to live again. It was
but a §mall part of the mission of
the Savior that was performed^
when he suffered death ; it was inr
deed the lesser part ; the greate
had yet to be done. It was in hi^
resurrection from the tomb, in his
coming forth from death unto life,
in uniting again the spiiit and the
body that we might become a liv-
ing soul ; and when this was done,
then he was prepared to return to
the Father. And all this was in
strict accordance with the great
plan of salvation. For even Christ
himself, though without sin, was
required to observe the outward
ordinance of baptism, in order td
fulfill all righteousness. So after
his resurrection from the dead>
he could return to the Father, there
to receive the welcome plaudit,
" Well done, you have done your
work, you have accomplished your
mission ; you have wrought out
salvation for all the children of
Adam ; you have redeemed all men
from the grave ; and through their
obedience to the ordinances of the
Gospel which you have established^
12
JOUR^NAl. OF DISCOURSES.
they can also be redeemed from the
spiritual death, again to be brought
back into our presence, to partake of
glory, exaltation and eternal life
•irith us." And so it will be when
we come forth out of the grave,
when the trump shall sound, and
these our bodies shall rise and our
spirits shall enter into them again,
and they shall become a living soul
no more to be dissolved or separated,
but to become inseparable, immortal,
eternal.
Then we shall stand before the
bar of God to be judged. So says
the Bible, so says the Book of Mor-
mon, and so say the revelations
which have come direct to us through
the Prophet Joseph Smith. And
then those that have not been sub-
ject and obedient to the celestial law
will not be quickened by the cele-
stial glory And those that have
not been subject and obedient to the
terrestrial law will not be quickened
by the terrestrial glory. And those
that have not been subject and obe-
dient to the telestial law, will not be
quickened by a telestial gloiy ; but
they will have a kingdom without
glory. ' While the sons of perdition,
men who had once been in posses-
sion of the light and truth, but who
turned away from it and deny the
Lord, putting him to an open shame,
as did the Jews when they crucified
him and said, *'Let his blood be upon
us and upon our children ; men who
consent, against light and knowledge,
to the shedding of innocent blood, it
will be said unto them, "Depart ye
cursed, I never knew you ; depart
into the second death, even banish-
ment from the presence of God for
ever and ever, where the wormdieth
not and the fire is not quenched,
from whence there is no redemption,
neither in time nor in eternity."
Herein is the difference between the
second and the first death, herein
man became spiritually dead ; for
from the first death he may be re-
deemed by the blood of Christ
through obedience to the laws and
ordinances of the Gospel, but from
the second there is no redemption
at all.
We read in the Book of Doctrine
and Covenants, that the devil
tempted Adam and he partook of
the forbidden fruit, and trangressed
the commandment, wherein he be-
came subject to the will of the devil
because he yielded unto temptation,
and because of this transgression
he became spiritually dead, which is-
the first death "even that same
death which is the lasjb death, which
is spiritual, which shall be pro-
nounced upon the wicked when I
shall say, depart ye cursed !" — Book
of Doc. and Gov, p. 147.
But ttIio will receive such pun-
ishment ? Only those that deserve
it, those that commit the unpardon-
able sin.
Then there is the banishment of
the transgressor, (not the sons of
perdition) into the prison house, a
place of punishment, with no exal»
tation, no increase, no dominion, no
power whose inhabitants after their
redemption may become servants of
them that have obeyed the laws of
God and kept the faith. That will
be the punishment of such as reject
the truth, but sin not unto death.
But as touching the terrestrial
kingdom, as the stars differ from
each other in lustre, so those who
I enter into the telestial kingdom
differ in glory.
" Well, now, how is it witb
Brother Clayton 1 He was not with-
ont faults in the flesh T But what
were theyl Were they such as par-
took of a deadly character % Did he
ever deny the Lord ? Did he ever
deny the Prophet Joseph, or did he
deny the truth or prove unfaithful
LAW OF CELESTIAL MARRIAGE, ETC.
IS
to his covenants or to his brethren 1
No, never. I can in all truthfulness
before God and man bear that testi-
mony of our departed brother, for I
have known him from my youth.
Yet, he was not without his failings 1
but then, they were of that nature
that injured nobody perhaps except
himself and his own family. But
notwithstanding his unflinching in-
tegrity, and his long life of fidelity
and usefulness, let me say to you,
that for his faults, however trivial,
or important, he must answer. But
he will be able to pay his debt and
to answer for his failings, and he will
come forth and all that has been
pronounced upon his head by
Joseph Smith and by the Apostles,
will be confirmed upon him
through all eternity; and there is
HO power on the earth or in hell
that can deprive him of them. For
as it is said — and, indeed, I need
not refer you to the revelation on
celestial marriage; but will quote
from the words of Christ, as given
in the New Testament. " Where-
fore I say unto you, all manner of
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven
unto men, but the blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven
unto men, • # * neither in
this world, neither in the world to
come.'' Our departed friend and
brother whose remains are now be-
fore us, has not sinned unto death.
I would not have it understood, for
a moment, that I or any of the
Elders attend funerals to smother
over the weaknesses of the departed
dead, trying to make it appear that
they were without faults, and there-
fore will not have to answer for any.
We know that every man will be
judged according to the deeds done
in the body ; and whether our sin
be against our own peace and happi-
ness alone or whether it affects that
of others, as the Lord lives we will
have to make satisfaction or atone-
ment ; God requires it, and it is ac-
cording to his providences, and we
cannot escape it. We must comply
with the provisions of the law, which
Brother Clayton in my belief, is
abundantly able to do. And when
this shall have been done, he will
come forth to receive his crown,, his
glory, dominion and kingdom, and
the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob which have been pronounced
upon his head.
Then let me say to the family of
our deceased brother. Follow in the
footsteps of your husband and father,
excepting wherein he may have
manifested the weaknesses of the
flesh ; imitate his staunch integrity
to the cause of Zion, and his fidelity
to his brethren ; be true as he was
true, be firm as he was firm, never
flinching, never swerving from the
truth as GoTl has revealed it to us ;
and I will promise you, in the name
of the Lord, that you will rise, to
meet your husband and father, in
the morning of the first resurrection^
clothed wiih glory, immortality and
eternal lives. Which may God
grant in the name of Jesus. Amen.
14
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
A FUNERAL SERMON BY PRESIDE .S[T JOHN TAYLOR,
Preached over the Remains of Joseph M. Cain, Son op Joseph and
Elizabeth Cain, in the 14th Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake
City, Feb. 8, 1880.
(Reported by Geo, F, Gibbs,,)
We are met here to-day, as we fre-
quently have to do, to pay the last
tribute of respect to the departed
dead. Time with all its changes and
mutations brings us face to face very
frequently with the kind of thing
that is now presented before us. We
come into the world, we struggle a
little while with the affairs incident
to human nature, and by and by the
struggles of the present are over.
The weary wheels of life stand still
and we go into another state of
existance. As wise, pnident and in-
telligent men it behooves us really
to comprehend the true position we
occupy in relation to the past, in re-
lation to the present, as well as to
the future.
Speaking of the past, we all of us
have had our ideas about a pre-ex-
istence. We consider that God is
Father of the spirits of all flesh, not
only of those that fear him, but of
those who do not fear him, and who
disobey His laws. He is the father
of the spirits of all, and as is spoken
of in the Scriptures, " We are His
offispring " and emanated from him.
We came into this world to attend
to certain things which are designed
by the Almighty and which in the
programme of the Lord it was ne-
cessary that we should take our part
in. We had very little to do with
our coming here ; all things move
along naturally But we have some-
thing to do, however, with our af-
fairs while we are here, in a state of
probation. But about our leaving,
in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred,
or more than that even, we have
little to do with it.
There are certain inscrutable pur-
poses associatied with the divine pro-
gramme which men generally do
not comprehend. We know a very
little of the world in which we live,
and of its inhabitants. But what
and how little do we know in rela-
tion to the past, or in regard to any-
thing pertaining to the future *? Who
can comprehend the purposes of God
pertaining to the organization of the
earth, say to commence with, and the
peopling of it, and the maintaining
of it, or in regard to the position of
the nations and their destiny ; or in
regard to the world itself and the vari-
ous changes yet to transpire upon it.
And then, who of us knows any-
thing definite pertaining to ourselves.
A FUNERAL SERMON.
15
or about the impulses by which we
are governed and actuated, or of the
powers of darkness, or the powers of
light, as the case may be, with
which we are surrounded] How
many of us comprehend these things]
Very few ind,eed. It is the design
of God, as I understand it, in our
coming here, to give unto us bodies,
that the spirits that were created
before, might have tabernacles where-
in they might live and exist, and
move and act, as corporeal substances,
if you please ; and that according to
certain inscrutable laws of God per-
taining to the human family and the
future destiny of man, and the world
in which we live ; that through the
union of the body and spirit, and
their obedience to certain laws
which the great Eloheim has given
for the guidance of His people, that
they might be more exalted, more
dignified, more glorious than it would
be possible for them to be, had they
not come here to sojourn in these
tabernacles, and combat with the
various evils to which the flesh is
heir.
Under these circumstances, from
time to time, he has made known
his will to men. He has in differ-
ent ages raised up men with whom
he communicated, and to whom he
revealed his will, and under certain
circumstances to whom he commit-
ted his law, and he has made them
his mouthpiece to the human fami-
ly, and through them has revealed
life and its principles, and has un-
veiled the heavens and given man a
knowledge of the future, and has
shown his condemnation, or evinced
his hatred to evil and iniquity of
every kind, and has shown through
them the evil effects of pursuing this
course. These men, in the different
ages in which they lived, warned
the people and the nations in regard
to evil, and have tried to incite them
to good, and held out to them the
principle of lives, eternal lives here-
after to be obtained in the celestial,
terrestrial or telestial kingdoms.
These men and these principles,
which have been introduced by the
Almighty, have had their effect
more or less among the human fa-
mily. But there has been associated
with this a spirit of antagonism to
God, to virtue, to truth, to purity, to
holiness, aud to those principles that
were calculated to elevate and exalt
humanity through time and through
the eternities that are to come.
Thus two influences have been at
work among the nations and among
the various peoples of the earth in
the different ages. Sometimes it
seems mysterious to the human
family that things should be as they
have been. They do not compre-
hend the meaning or the purposes
or designs, or even the law of God
in fact, some of these laws have not
been made known generally t»
mankind. Permit me to say there
are eternal laws that exist with the
Gods in the eternal worlds, and from
which they cannot depart,. and t»
which they are bound in all their
acts, I was g9ing to say as we are,
but I will say not as we are, but as
we ought to be, subject to the law of
God in all our acts, and that it is
absolutely necessary that men should
be placed in a state of trial, in a state
of probation. It was just as neces-
sary that Satan, if you please, should
exercise his power as that God should
exercise his. This is a thing that is
not always understood by men, and,
in fact, they understand very littl©
about it. We are told, however,
that " it must needs be that there is
an opposition in all things," good
and evil, light and darkness, happi
ness and misery, con'uption and in-
corruptiou, life and death, heaven
and hell.
16
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
We talk about a futurity and about
heaven, of which men have certain
vague ideas. Some think heaven is
beyond the bounds of time and
space. It is a kind of poetic thought,
which sounds very well ; but where
is such a place ? When we reflect
upon it in our sober moments, we
naturally conclude that it is no-
where. But men have entertamed
singular notions and ide^s pertaining
to the future, many of which have
been erratic, foolish and ignorant ;
and the fact is, it is impossible for
man, unaided by the revelations of
God, to comprehend anything about
him. Job says : " Canst thou by
searching find out God] Canst thou
find out the Almighty unto perfec-
tion? It is as high as heaven; what
canst thou do? deeper than hell,
what canst thou know f
We are told emphatically that no
man knows the things of God but by
the Spirit of God. And how are
they to become acquainted with
these things, unless they are in
possession of that light and that
spirit which is capable of imparting
to them that intelligence ? A know-
ledge of God is out of the ken of
uninspired humanity. Who can
draw aside the vail of the in-
visible world ? Who can pene-
trate into the future and look,
as some men have, through the dark
vista of future ages and see the
purposes of God roll on with all
their majesty and glory to consum-
mation ; of which, they nor we, nor
anybody can know anything about,
except by and under the influence of
that spirit ? They cannot know it ;
it is out of their reach.
Well, what then in regard to the
things of men % We see men bick-
ering and quarreling over religious
matters, over things really that they
are just as ignorant of as babes are.
They contend about certain princi-
ples, dogmas and theories, and get
up debates about them, oft times
causing troubles in families, and
neighbourhoods ; often persecuting;
one another and even putting one
another to death concerning things
that they knew nothing about them-
selves. This is aU very foolish.
How does God feel towards the
human family ? He feels that they
are his children. What, all, ? Yes ;
the white, the black, the red, the
Jew, the Gentile, the heathen, the
Christian and all classes and grades
of men ; he feels interested in all, he
has done so from the beginning, and
will continue to do so to the end.
He will do all that lies in his power
for the benefit, blessing, ank exalta-
tion of the human family, both in
time and eternity, consonant with
those laws and those eternal princi-
ples that I have referred to : from
which he himself cannot deviate^
We sometimes get up feelings about
parties that do not think as we do,
and do not believe as we do, and we
are apt to cast aspersions upon them.
Why, these are their affairs. What 1
would you allow everybody to wor-
ship as they please ? , Certainly.
What? If you knew they were in
error? Certainly? I would not
wish to control the human mind -,
I would not control the actions of
men, God does not do it, he leaves
them to their own agency to combat
with the trials, temptations, adver-
sities and evils of every kind that
are in the world, to which humanity
is, or can be incident. He put with-
in their reach, however, certain prin-
ciples and would like to lead them
to himself if they would be led. IT
not, he then does the very best withi
them that he can. In some in-
stances he has had to come out, as it
is said, " in his fierce wrath," upoa
A FUNERAL SERMON.
17
the peoples and upon the nations of
the earth ; and many other things
have been in his programme ; be-
cause this life, with its few years is
only comparatively, as it were, a few
moments in the estimation of Jeho-
vah. It is but a span, a dream, or a
tale, that is told and passed away.
But in regard to the eternities that
are to come, and the realities we
have to do with hereafter, that is
another affair. I have heard men
talk about the cruelty of God, just
like some foolish people talk about
their fathers. Who knows anything
about God ] Did you ever see him 1
Some think it was very cruel in him
to destroy the world at the flood.
How do they know bi^t that it was
the greatest boon he could confer
upon that wicked people ? How do
they know but that it was one of the
richest blessings he could pour out
upon their h^ads in sweeping them
off the earth and sending them into
another existence and then shutting
them up in prison after that. How do
you know 1 Certainly you do not
know that it is not the case.
Let us reason for a few moments
and look at things about as they are ;
I will tell them as they are and as
they were. Satan before the days of
the* flood obtained the ascendancy
over many men and brought them
under his rule and dominion. He
started in with Cain and made a
murderer of him the very first thing
he did and taught him many princi-
ples of evil, and he was called the
great Master Mahon. Under the
influence and power of Satan he
operated to thwart the designs of
God and to stop the purposes of
Jehovah. Satan first started in the
heavens, but was cast out and suc-
ceeded in obtaining a great ascend-
ancy over the minds of the people,
whom he caused to corrupt them-
selves, leading them into evil, folly
No. 2.
vanity and corruptions of every kind,
so much so we are told that the "ima-
ginations and thoughts of their hearts
were only evil and that continually."
What had to be done then 1 There
were other parties interested besides
those upon the , earth. There were
innumerable hosts of spirits in the
heavens that had to come and take
tabernacles. Was it proper and
righteous, was it equitable, was it
according to the principles of justice
that those that were pure with their
Father in the heavens should come
and take bodies and be forced
to fenter into tabernacles, that were
the offspring of those corrupt beings
who were then peopling the earth ]
If I or you had been there should we
not have spoken to our Father and
said, " Father, do you see the cor-
ruptions that exist upon the face of
the earth 1" Yes, I know it." "Is it
just that we should have to go into
these corrupt, contaminated, evil,
wicked bodies to receive our earthly
parentage from them ; and be sub-
ject to that power and iniquity in
all its phases for thousands or mil-
lions of years to come f " No," says
He, " it is not, and I will sweep them
away, I will destroy them ; they
possess the power, while living to
propagate their species, but I will
deprive them of that power. I will
send in the floods upon them, and
then I will shut them up in prison."
Did he do it 1 He did. But before
He did it, he had the Gospel preached
to them as it is now being preached,
and men clothed upon with the
priesthood were sent forth among
the peoples to proclaim to them the
great principles of life, and
they had • the Gospel and the
revelations of God and commu-
nion with their heavenly Father.
Enoch was a preacher of righteous-
ness, and numerous Elders at that
time were sent forth among the peo-
Vol. XXI.
18
JOURNAL OK DLSCOURSES.
pie and proclaimed the principles of
eternal truth and gathered the peo-
ple together, so that every man who
would fear God and obey his law
and be governed by the principles of
righteousness, might have the full
blessings of the everlasting Gospel ;
and He gathered them together be-
fore destruction came. They w^ere
gathered unto Zion, and that Zion
was caught up, by the power of God,
away from the earth, and then the
avenging hand of God came upon
the corrupt inhabitants that were
left because of their iniquities.
Would it be proper to allow corrup-
tions and wickedness to predominate,
and the powers of Satan to have the
presiding influence, and God to be
left out of the question? No.
Therefore He accomplished what He
did. Did He injure them 1 No ;
they would only have lived a few
years longer anyhow; but He did
not want them to perpetuate that
kind of folly, wickedness, and cor-
ruption that then prevailed, and said
" I will stop it," and he stopped it.
Now, what about the future cf such
people. We may have curious ideas
about them. Some think that they
are going to remain in hell for ever
and ever. But they were in the
hands of God, and He did right by
tbem. By and by when Jesus came,
what did he do ? As soon as He got
through with His short mission upon
the earth, " He was put to death in
the flesh, and was quickened by the
Spirit, and went and preached unto
the spirits in prison, which sometime
were disobedient when once the long
suffering of God waited in the days
of Noah ;" that they might be placed
on the same plane and . in the same
position that others were ; that they
might obtain their proper status in
the eternal worlds, and be rewarded
with all that was possible for them
to enjoy, according to the eternal
laws and inscrutable justice of Jeho-
vah. Thus justice was satisfied, the
law vindicated, the wicked punished,
the unborn and pure protected and
provided for, anti finally, the im-
prisoned released from their bondage
and salvation extended to the pri-
soners. Was there anything wrong
in that. " Yes," says the ignoramus
who does not know anything about
it, ** it was very cruel." Well, the
greatest cruelty there is about such
men is that they are cruelly igno-
rant and do not know what they
are talking about.
Now in regard to other things.
The Gospel has been sent from time
to time among the people. And
what does it^do 1 It brings life and
immortality to light. Has God ever
given up his idea in relation to the
inhabitants of the earth ] No ; but
He has in the different ages given
certain laws and principles to certain
classes of individuals. It is said
that God has made of one blood all
nations of the earth, yet there are
certain classes of men among the na-
tions just as much as there are cer-
tain classes of metals. Everything
is not gold, everything is not silver,
everything is not brass ; everything
is not iron ; all hold their. proper po-
sition and have their relative value.
So in regard to the heavens. There
are bodies celestial, there are bodies
terrestrial, there are bodies telestial
We are told there is one glory of the
sun, another glory of the moon, an-
other glory of the. stars, and that at
one star diflers from another star in
glory so also shall it be in the resur-
rection. This distinction arises from
the acts of men, as it is said '^ Ye
are servants to whom you yield your-
selves servants to obey."
Now what are we here for I What
are the things we profess to do 1 I
will ask what did Jesus seek to do
when he was here 1 Did he come to
A FUNERAL SERMON.
19
•corse mankind t No, but to bless
them ; he came to seek and to save
those that were lost ; He came to
to unfold 'the principles of eternal
truth, to bring life and immortality
to light by the Gospel. He came,
■according to the eternal decree of
the Almighty, to offer his life as a
sacrifice, as an atonement for the
mns of the human family. He came
to introduce principles that ema-
nated from God to organize his
«hurch upon the earth, and to en-
dow his disciples with authority that
they might go forth as His :
messengers to proclaim the prin-
^iples of eternal truth to the
human family. Hence says he, " Go
ye into all the world and preach the
Oospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be
.saved ; but he that believeth not
shall be damned." This is one of
those eternal decrees that you cannot
get away from. And then we talk
■about the damnation of hell ; and
people have as strange notions about
that as they have about other things.
I have read statements from men
which were really terrible when de-
picting the state of the damned. It
is bad enough, but it is not the kind
of thing they represent.. 1 remember,
too, reading a piece of poetry, which
Tan something like this :
Imfinite yoars in torment must I spend,
And never, never, never have an end.
Ah ! must I lie, in ruinous despair,
As many years as atoms in the air ;
When these are past as many thousand
more,
As grains •( sand upon the ocean shore.
When all these doleful years are spent in
pain,
And multiplied by millions yet again.
Till numbers drown the thought, could I
snppose
That then ray dismal years would have a
close,
This would afford a hope ; but ah ! I shiver
To ponder on this dreadful wor^ forever ;
I in this burning anilf blaspheming lie,
Time la no more, out vast eternity."
This may be poetic. It is certainlj
grim and terrible; but it is not true.
Is there justice? Yes. Eternal
justice*? Yes. These men that I
have referred to suffered eternal
justice; they were destroyed by the
Almighty, and at last were saved
again by the Almighty. Have we
eternal punishment 1 Yes. What
is it 1 It is God's punishment. Are
there everlasting prisons) Yes.
What are they 1 God's prisons. Do
people stay in them forever ? No.
Not in all of them. We have prisons
upon the earth, penitentiaries, in
which to confine people for one, five,
ten or twenty years, as the case may
be ; and when their time expires
they come out ; but the prison is
there still. Is it an everlasting
prison ? You may call it so if you
please ; but people do not stay in it
always. Has God a way to manage
his affairs 1 Certainly ; the Judge
of all the earth ought to be at least
as capable in the management of his
affairs, as mortal men are in theirs.
We have come upon this stage of
action, and are called to preach.
And God has revealed his will, and
some people seem to be very angry
about it. Joseph Smith had revela-
tions from God. Do I know it ] Yes,
I do. Could he help it? Suppose
the Lord were to speak to any of
you, could you help it? or if an
angel were to come to you, could
you help it 1 No, you could not.
Now, you might do what they tell
you, or not; that is optional. If
you did what they told you, how-
ever, the world and the devil would
say you were a fool ; and they have
always said so in every age of the
world ; and the devil and the world
have always been opposed to God
and his law, and they would perse-
cute you as they persecuted him.
Very well, do we have need to fightl
I do not I thank God for the %ht
20
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
and intelligence he has revealed unto
• OS, through the medium of the ever-
lasting Gospel. Gould we have it if
Ok)d had not revealed iti No.
Who knew that God lived ? Nobody
until Joseph Smith came, and the
Lord spoke to him pointing out to
him his sod, saying, '' This is my
beloved Son, hear him." Who knew
anything about it ? Nobody on the
wide earth. Gould he have helped
it if he wanted to 1 I do not think
he wanted to much ; I do not think
anybody need want to much, if God
would condescend to reveal his will;
I do not think they would be very
desirous for him to hold his peace.
It is true a number of the children
of Israel did when they heard the
thunderings on Mount Sinai They
said to Moses, speak to us ; but do
not let the Lord speak to us, lest
we die. The fact is, they were not
prepared for it.
Now then, this Gospel is intro-
duced for what] To spread life
and salvation to the world. God
blessed Abraham in the same way.
What fori In thee and thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. I will give unto you my
law, I will reveal unto you the prin-
ciples of eternal truth ; I will open
the mysteries of heaven to your
view, and you shall gaie uyon me
and upon my purposes. I will in-
struct you in the principles of life
and salvation, and I will tell you
what to do with those principles
when I shall have committed them
to you. As he spake unto Moses,
he told him to select a man to be
his mouth-piece ; and said, Moses
shall be a God unto you, and I will
speak through him. That is it.
Now, he has done the same in this
day, and restored the same princi-
pies, and has sent forth a message
to the nations of the earth, and
gathered together men who had
the manhood, integrity and de-
sire to carry out the purposes oF
God, and who would be valiant for-
those principles which he had re*-
vealed ; and he prepared them for
his purpose ; and if he had not sus-
tained them they would not be here-
^ to-day. Are these men enemies to
the world? If teaching men the
truth is enmity, they have done-
that; if going without purse or
scrip, traveling among the nations
to proclaim to them the glad tidings-
of salvation is enmity, they may"
possess it. But impelled by the-
spirit of eternal truth and en>
lightened by the spirit of the
Almighty and comprehending the
position they occupied, they
have gone forth among the people
of the earth and proclaimed to them
the glad tidings of salvation, and
God has taken care of them. Verj
well. Anything great about this?
No ; it is simply performing a duty.
I have traveled hundreds and thous-
ands of miles in this way myself^
trusting in God. Was I ever for-
saken 1 No. Did I ever need any-
thing 1 No, not that I did not get.
Did I ever have to go hungry, naked
or destitute ? No, the Lord alwa3r8-
provided and raised up means in
every kind of way, and I did not
beg either. I would like anybody
to tell me when I ever begged any-
thing from them either here or any-
where else. But I have begged of
the Lord, for my religion teaches me-
to go to him*
Now then, we have a work to do*.
Do we wish to villify anybody in
our midst 1 No. Do we see wicked^
corrupt and abominable men among^
us? Yes. What will we do with
them ? Leave them in the hands of
God, he will manage them ; it is for
lis to do right, to work righteous-
ness and pursue a course right be-
fore the Lord.
THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC.
21
I see that time is passing. My
mind has been led rather discur-
sively on some of these matters,
arising partly from circumstances
with which we are surrounded.
How is it with this young man here?
Well, I wish it were otherwise ; I
wish he had lived a very good Saint,
which, however, he did not do.
We have not come here to in-
dulge, in any kind of false sentimen-
tality. He was a drunkard ; that is
a truth and many of you know it.
When you have said that, can you
say anything worse 1 That is bad
enough, but I do not know anything
evil about the young man further
than that. I knew his father. I
baptized him thousands of mUes
away from here, in the neighbour-
hood of 40 years of ago, when he
was a much younger man than he
(his son) is now. His father lived
up to the Gospel, and died strong in
the faith ; and his mother has been
a very good woman, so far as I know ;
I have never known anything
against her. This boy has caused
her a great deal of trouble ; and I
have been sorry for him. Well,
should we tell things 1 Yes, always ;
that day is not far distant when the
coverings will be taken from the
face of all people, and we shall all
stand naked, as it were, before God
— both you and I and this young
man. Well this boy, — I call him a
boy, he is ^ young man, and is a
nephew of mine by marriage ; and I
would not want to say anything
about him on that account, neither
would I falsify the young man on
that account ; but let us tell things
and understand them as they are.
Let me call the attention of the
youth present. Would you like to
be lying in this position, under
these cu*cumstances 1 You would
not 1 Then let us look at things as
they are. What next ] We will
I do the best we can ; and what is it)
I There is a curious saying that Paul
made on a cer1;ain occasion, in speak-
ing about the Jews and the Gentiles :
" What advantage hath the Jewsl
or what profit is there of circum-
cision 1
" Much eveiy way ; chiefly, that
unto them were committed the ora-
cles of God.
"Whose are the fathers, and of
whom as concerning the flesh Christ
came, who is over all, God blessed
for ever," etc.
Is it a sorrowful thing to see our
youth pass away as he has done?
Yes. He did not die drunk 1 No,
but that was the cause of it. We
may as well talk honestly about
him. What next ? , He -has gone.
Has he hurt anybody 1 No, only by
his example. Has he hurt his
mother 1 Yes. I do not think he
did sin while his father was living ;
but since then he has caused his
mother many a sorrowful hour?
Did I feel sorry when he died 1 No.
Why 1 Because I knew it was much
better for him to leave the earth
than to be in the position he has
been.
Now, what about the future in
in relation to these things ! What
advantage has the Jew over the
Gentile ] Much every way. Their's
were the fathers ; and unto that ^
people were committed the oracles
of God. Their's were the fathers —
we have fathers that are living in
the eternal worlds ; fathers that are
interested in our welfare ; fathers
that are associated with the beings
that exist behind the vail ; fathers
who are operating with us in trying
to bring about the great purposes of
God and the salvation of the human
family. Can anything be done?
Yes, and all that can be done will
be done, but the future has got to
be left with the Almighty in regard
22
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
to these matters. But we can do a
great deal according to principles
that Ood has revealed to us, and
these things will be done, as far as
they can be.
I would say, I do not utter these
things to cause any unpleasant feel-
ing in the bosom of the family; they
cannot help it. If I could have
helped it, I would ; if the mother
could have helped it, she would; if
the sister could have helped it, she
would; if the friends could have
helped it, they would. But we can-
not control circumstances.
We are now talking not to the
dead, but to the living. I would
say. Let us avoid these evils, they
lead down to death ; let us seek to
live our religion, to obey the
laws of God and keep his command-
ments. And in regard to the. future,
we leave that in the hands of the
Almighty who doeth all things well j.
and we will do all we can to promote
tFe comfort of the living and' the
dead. We are doing a great deal
for the accomplishment of this ob-
ject ; we are building temples and
administering in them, and we are
doing it in obedience to the law or
God, and in consonance with the feel-
ing of the patriarchs and apostles
and men of God who have lived be-
fore. And we. will try to go on and
live our religion and keep the com-
mandments of God that we may re-
joice together hereafter. And I
would say to the mother. Let your
heart be comforted for you shall be
blessed both in time and in eternity.
And I say unto all of you. Live your
religion, keep the commandments ot
God, for in that only there is safety.
God bless you in time and in eter-
nity. Amen.
DISCOUKSE BY ELDER ERASTUS SNOW,
DELIVERED AT BRIGHAM CITY, ON SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 1879.
(Reported by Qeo. F, Oibhs.)
REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE — TIME AS RELATED TO ETERNITY — ^WONDERFXH*^
MECHANISM OF THE HUMAN BODY— INTEGRITY IN THE FACE OF
OPPOSITION.
I feel somewhat weary in body
from the effects of labor and infirm-
ities ; and were I to consult my own
feelings I would be inclined to waive
this privilege, and sit and listen to
/ my brethren. Indeed, I may say I
rather counted upon a rest in com-
ing to Brigham City ; yet I never
allow myself to shrink from bearing
that portion that properly attaches
REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE, ETC.
2a'
me in life to the calling and duties
devolving upon me. I feel that we
are all here in a shool, that we have
a work to perform ; and if when we
shall have do^e that work we shall
be satisfied with it, we will not re-
gret having worn ourselves out in
accomplishing it. But on the con-
trary we shall rejoice at our success
in having got safely through and en-
tered into the •* rest " which is pre-
pared for the people of God in the
future state. This is a scriptural
phrase, implying that there is a rest
beyond for the people of God. But
I have sometimes thought that
strictly speaking rest was only a
change, and that a change was rest ;
because to be absolutely at rest, to
be entirely free from labor and care
would be inconsistent with our ex-
istence ; in such a condition our
being would be a blank, a nonentity.
The course of God, we are told, by
the prophet Nephi, is one eternal
round ; that, like eternity, it has
neither beginning nor end, and is
illustrated in the Book of Abraham
by the hieroglyphic of the circle.
You may start upon this ring at any
given point, and in traversing it you
will come to the same point — it is
without beginning, without end.
We sometimes speak of eternity
in contradistinction to time ; and
often say, " through time and into
eternity;" and again "from eternity
to eternity," which is simply an-
other form of expressing the same
idea, and " pass through time into
eternity." In other words, time is
a short period allotted to man in his
probationary state — and we use the
word time in contradistinction to
the word eternity, merely for the
accommodation of man in his finite
sphere, that we may comprehend
and learn to measure periods. And
for this 'purpose the Lord gave unto
Adam his reckoning after the move-
ments of the planets, which would
appear to him stationary, or at least
comparatively so, making a suitable
standard by which man in his mortal
state may measure periods and count
out the days and the months and
the years and the cycles.
The Scriptures speak of a time
"when time shall be no more." And
the Apostle John in his visions,
while banished to the Isle of Patmos,
heard the angel say, " time shall be
no more." We may not fully com-
prehend the meaning and the pur-
port of this expression. All phrases
or expressions whether used by men,
angels or God have a relative mean-
ing, as one thing is compared with
another ; and to understand the full
force of them, we must understand
that to which it has reference by
comparison. I simply understand
by this, that so far as we are con-
cerned, time will be no more when
we shall be merged into eternity,
and we cease to reckon our periods
by the diurnal revolutions of the
earth, and the changes of the moon,
etc.; when we shall enter into a
sphere where we can mingle with
the gods and become acquainted
with their reckoning, and the eter-
nal periods or cycles of revolutions
of numberless creations in space,
which to-day the most profound
astronomers of the earth are unable
to fathom or mark their place of be-
ginning. And this is called eternity
by man, and, as far as man is con-
cerned, is in contradistinction to
other periods and modes of reckon-
ing known and in use among the
uods. For they have their periods
and reckoning as well as we, oidy on
a vast and, to us, incomprehensible
scale. We are in a state of progres-
sion, very small beginnings, but on-
ward and upward for a more exalted
sphere, in which they move. But I
conceive of no stopping place ; I
24
JOURNAL OF DIS(X)URS£».
conceive of no absolute resting place,
but only, as before remarked, a
change, a change in our circumstan-
ces and conditions, and consequently
a change in our labors.
I speak now of man as an immor-
tal being, having no reference to
this earthly house of our tabernacles ;
for this mortal house which we oc-
cupy for the period of a few short
years upon the earth, will not be
associated with the immortal man —
the god in embryo. The clothing
we wear covers the nakedness of the
body ; it answers a good purpose for
a little season — until it becomes
worn out, when it is cast aside as of
no further use for that purpose. So
with the outer house of our taber-
nacles. This mortality serves the
purposes intended for a few short
years until it is worn out with use,
like the farmer s agricultural imple-
ments, like the machinist's or me-
chfinic's tools, or any other piece of
machinery — for the human body is
one of the finest and most perfect
pieces of machinery known upon the
earth; there is none superior. In-
deed, most of the mechanism em-
ployed by men in various branches
of industry is founded on the ana-
tomical structure of the human body;
the angles, the joints, the tendrils,
the cords by which they are bound
together; the wonderful construction
not only of tlie outer portions of the
body, but the very fine mechanism
of the nervous system, and also that
of the eye, the ear, and of the means
of sensation, and that by which
knowledge is communicated from
one part of the body to the other.
If the finger be abused or injured, a
telegraphic communication is made
to the seat of knowledge — the
government of the body ; conveying
the information that a finger is in
danger ; and wherever pain is felt,
in whatever part of the body, it is
but the ringing of the bell of alarm,
giving notice of a hostile attack, and
to make preparations for defense,
lest the enemy making the assault
take possession of the citadel and
destroy it. The wonderful mechan-
ism of the nervous system, through
which the spirit makes its impres-
sions upon the body, is, as it were, aa
intermediate organism between the
fine spiritual body and the coarser
elements of our tabernacles. And
those who have given the most time
and study to this wonderful machine
are lead to fully appreciate and en-
dorse the saying of the Psalmist, " I
am fearfully and wonderfully made."
Its adaptability to the uses and pur-
poses intended, with its remarkable
endurance when suitably guarded
and protected against disease and
what we term accident, is in itself
sufficient to call forth the admiration
of all intelligent beinsrs. We look
upon an aged person, say, 70, 80, 90
or 100 years old, and realize that
there is a machine, a mechanical
structure — ^shall we call it a model
representing perpetual motion % Not
exactly, but a machine that has been
in motion say, 100 years ; a double
action pump that has been constantly
going, distributing the fluids of the
sj'stem by way of keeping up a con-
stant circulation of the blood ; some-
times working very hard to remove
obstructions arising from colds and
and other causes to keep the chan-
nels from becoming stopped up, and
at other times working slowly. And
the functions of the body are oft-
times kept in such constant use for
such a period of time without the
touch of the mechanic to repair a
break unless it may, perchance, be
the surgeon's saw to remove a dis-
abled limb that threatens to en-
cumber the whole body, or the tying
up of a broken artery to prevent
the escape of the vital fluid. But
REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE, ETC.
25
otherwise the most skilful physician
is unable to make a single repair or
improve any part or portion of it;
and the most he can do is to give
something to be taken into the
stomach to effect a chemical change
on the fluids of the system, to neu-
tralize perhaps an excess of the acids,
thus working a change in the quality
of the blood, and consequently a
change in the deposits that are being
made in all parts of the system by
the circulation of this fluid. But
this wonderful machine is kept in
motion by what power 1 We say it
is the power of God ; we say it is in
Him we live and move and. have
our being. And, yet. He always
works through means, all His won-
derful works being performed by
agents ; but He is not confined to
one agent nor any special method in
performing His works. But there
is a spirit in this earthly tabernacle
of ours that is relative to our
Father and God, and who is the
owner of this tabernacle, and
for whom the tabernacle is orga-
nized as his dwelling house. It is
this spirit that keeps the functions
of this tabernacle in motion ; when
this spirit leaves the body, it is
either because the Father calls it
away, wishing to use it in another
sphere, considering the time it has
spent in this tabernacle sufficient for
the purposes required, and therefore
takes it to a higher school, through
special design to do a special work ;
or it may be, it has used its taber
nacle until it is so worn out that it
has become like a bow which has
been long and constantly bent, — it
has lost its elasticity ; its bones im-
paired in strength, its muscles stif-
fened, and the whole frame ready,
like our old clothes, to be thrown
aside; and the spirit comes to the
-conclusion that it has had its run
with this old tabernacle and that it
is time this old garment were laid
aside for a new one. Our Father
comes to this conclusion and gives
the spirit a ticket of leave, and re-
moves it into another sphere. But
this is all necessary as a school for
us. The various pains and sorrows
to be endured in life are all neces-
sary in their time and place ; the
trials as we term them, are all ne-
cessary in their place, they are all a
part of the scheme of education or
training to prepare us for the future.
One of the sacred writers, in speak-
ing of Jesus, said : " For we have
not an high priest which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infir-
mities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin."
And again : " For God giveth not
the spirit by measure unto him.'* It
is measured out to you and me in
the providence of the Lord ; but for
him there was a storehouse to draw
upon, as it were, without measure.
He could continue to heal the sick
and raise the dead and perform great
and marvelous things, and yet the
supply of vitality was not in the
least abated. Mortals less gifted
and less favored who should be the
means of healing many sick by the
power of God, would feel that in
taking their infirmities upon them,
they were sinking under theVeight,
and would want to hie themselves
away to rest and recuperate their
exhausted frames. Jesus was an
exception in this respect ; he took
upon himself our infirmities and bore
our sickness, as had been predicted
by Isaiah the prophet. He truly
did heal the sick wherever he went ;
and some found that if they could
even touch the hem of his garment
the disease from which they suff'ered
could be rebuked ; and one instance
is given where this was done, in
which case we are told, virtue went
out of him. But notwithstanding
^6
JOURNAL OF DISG0URSS8.
the great burden that he bore, to-
gether with the vast amount of vita-
lity that was at various times com-
municated from him to others, he
did not faint under the load ; his
mortality did not give way. But no
man, unsupported as he was, could
have done it without sinking under
this weight ; none other could have
grappled with devils and cast them
out of individuals and held them at
bay, as he did, without suffering from
bodily exhaustion, and therefore had
to seek retirement and vest. He,
however, waged war constantly, and
was well prepared for this work,
having an* inexhaustible source of
strength to draw from, the Spirit
having been given to him without
measure. But at length the time
came when the Father said. You
must succumb, you must be made
the offering. And at this dark
hour the power of the Father with-
drew itself measurably from him,
and he was left to be taken by his
enemies, and, like a lamb, was led
to the slaughter, but he opened not
his mouth, because his hour had
come. And when he was led to ex-
claim in his last agony upon the
cross. My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me ? the Father did
not deign to answer ; the time had
not yet come to explain it and tell
him. But after a little, when he
passed the ordeal, made the sacrifice,
and by the power of God was raised
from the dead, then all was clear,
all was explained and comprehended
fully. It was necessary that the
Father should thus measurably for-
sake his Son, leaving him to his ene-
mies, otherwise they never could
have fulfilled what had been prophe-
sied concerning him. So we may
say with others, it is only a sample
for us to reflect upon, that may be
equally applicable to us all in our
times and seasons.
It is not necessary, in the provi-
dence of God, that we should all
be martyrs ; it is not necessary
that all should suffer death upon the
cross, because it was the will of tho
Father that Jesus should so suffer,
neither is it necessary that all the
Saints of this last dispensation
should perish because our prophet
perished, but yet it may be neces-
sarv that some should, that a suffi-
cient number of faithful witnesses
of God and of his Christ should
suffer, and even perish by the hands-
of their enemies, to prove and show
unto the world — the unbelieving
and unthinking — that their testi-
mony is true, and that they are
ready not only to bear testimony in
word, but in deed, to sustain and
honor their testimony through their
lives ; and also in their death ; and
greater love than this no man can
have for his friend or for his bosom
companion, not even David and
Jonathan, whose love for each other
is said to have surpassed the love of
woman. No one can give a stronger
assurance of his devotion to the
principles he has received and which
he teaches to his fellowman, than
to patiently Endure suffering, for
their sake, and, if need be, to con-
tinue that suffering and endurance
even unto death.
In the economy of heaven, it has
been deemed necessary, at various
periods of the world's history, that
such witnesses of Christ should suf-
fer death for their testimony's sake,
and that others may yet have to suf-
fer in our own time is probable.
Nay, the Scriptures give us clearly
to understand that such will be the^
case, that more or less will suffer,
but to what extent the servants of
the Lord may be called upon to thus
suffer is not given us to know, nor
is it necessary we should. For what
difference does it make when we
REST SK^NIFIES CHANGE, ETC.
27
have performed a good work or so
far completed it that the Lord ac-
cepts of it and is willing for us to
pass behind the veil, and perhaps
gives his consent whether we go by
a bullet or through violence at the
hands of our enemies, or whether it
be by a lingering sickness*? Iipi
most cases the former would be pre-
ferable, so far as we are personally
concerned, for in such the pain and
suffering would be slight, although
it would be calculated to shock the
sensibilities of living friends who
would mourn over us.
In philosophising upon these
things, I scarcely have a tremor or
thought or care in relation to the
death I may suffer, or when it shall
come, or how it shall come. It mat-
ters not when or where or under
what circumstances it may be, my
feeling is as it always has been —
it will be all right. I take no more
thought or care of this matter than
the infant child does about the pre-
paration of its food. The Lord cares
for us and such matters, and will
order them in their time and season.
But there is a principle involved.
When a man is faced by his enemies,
when the wicked conspire against
the righteous, threatening death
and destruction if he do not turn
truant and deny our God and obey
their behests ; all this is calculated
to try the faith of the people and
put them to the test , as to whether
they have more confidence in God
and his promises, than in his Satanic
majesty and the host of his servants
upon the earth, who in many in-
stances offer them what they have
not power to give. They remind
me of the devil when he took the
Savior into a high mountain and
showed him all the riches of the
earth, promising to give him all he
could see if he would only fall down
and worship him. The Savior re-
plied : "It is written. Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve." He did not
revile him by telling the poor devil
that he did not own anything, that
he had not the power to give what
he proposed to ; but merely quoted
the Scripture referred to, which was
applicable and suitable for the occa-
sion. And I for one propose to obey
the command ; and this is all we
need say to our enemies when they
place us in similiar circumstances.
They may say, "you are a very
great people in your way ; you are a
very economical and frugal people in
your way, and are predisposed to be
peaceful. You have redeemed the
desert from sterility, and built up
fine homes, and made roads, rail-
roads, and telegraph lines, and you
possess all the elements and natural
advantages calculated to make a peo-
ple prosperous and happy, and a
nation great; and there are many
good things to commend in you.
But then, you have one evil existing
and encouraged among you which
we deplore and which we are desir-
ous and determined to eradicate.
Now, if you will renounce that and
cast it from you, we will give you
the right hand of fellowship and be
friends, and all the fullness of the
earth is yours ; and we will welcome
your delegate, your representatives
and your senators to Congress, and
we will give them a seat by our side,
and we will even call off our dogs of
war, and withdraw our governor,
and judges and marshals and attor-
neys whom we send to fiarrass you,
and also the little cur dogs that fol-
low along barking at your heels ; we
will call them off, and let you pos-
sess the earth in peace if you will
only deny your principles and lay
aside those which we pronounce to
be evil, and fall down and worship
God as we do." Whether we will
28
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
be true in all these things ; whether
we have the same confidence in God,
the God we serve, who has led us all
our lives and been true to us in all
conditions and circumstances, and to
the promises made to us up to the
present time; whether we will still
trust in him, and face the cannon's'
mouth, if need be, or face death in
any form it may come, or imprison-
ment, if that form of treatment is
preferred, or anything that they
have power to inflict upon us, rather
than deny our God. " How far
will they go," says one 1 I answer,
just as far as our Father permits
them, and no farther. He has set
bounds to the waves of the ocean,
and he has also set bounds to the
wrath of the wicked. He controls
the elements that war in the heavens,
— the fearful thunderstorm — that
darkens the firmament and that
shakes the earth with its roar, the
vivid lightnings that add terror to
the scene, the tumultuous waves
that leap and dash in the fury of
the gale, and the earthquake that
bellows forth its lurid flames, which
make men tremble at the gaze. But
He speaks, and all is still ; the
thunders are hushed, the clouds dis-
persed, the lightnings cease and the
belching of the earthquake is heard
no more ; all is peace and quiet. So
with the wrath of man and of nations
that may be heard raging in the
midst of the wicked, under the con-
trol of the prince and power of the
air, who works and controls in the
midst of discordant kings and rulers
who array themselves against each
other. Nations are at loggerheads,
and war is proclaimed ; the energies
of war are set in array, and misery
and death stalk in their wake. And
again by some slight means, the
Lord changes the fate of nations
and turns the fortunes of war, and
changes the tide of events, and all
human calculations fail. He causes
some angel of his to put some ob-
struction in the way of the march
of some general and his army so that
he arrives, perhaps, at the scene of
battle five nAnutes too late; he
causes a chariot wheel to fall off or
some slight accident to happen to
an engine of destruction, and the
best calculations of the shrewdest
officer and the proudest king fail,
and their works come to nought.
He sets up and pulls down men and
nations at his pleasure. He did this
in the case of the first great and proud
monarch of the world — ^the King of
Babylon who swayed universal scep-
tre upon the eartb. He was a strong-
minded, and strong-willed and
haughty monarch ; but God taught
him by an extraordinary and humili-
ating experience to know that the
Lord, the Most High God rules in
the heavens and also controls the
affairs of men as it pleases him.
And his bitter experience God
caused to be written as a warning to
kings and rulers and the great ones
of the^earth ; and they are lessons of
warning equally appropriate to every
human soul.
I have occupied more time than'
I intended or thought I could. I
pray God to bless us in all our labors,
that union, peace and love may abide
in your midst and in your habita-
tions, and that prosperity may attend
you in your business, that the diffi-
culties which annoy you and impede
your progress may be removed and
the dark clouds that to-day seem to
hang over your heads, be dispersed
and the genial warmth of the sun's
rays again be felt among you, that
the hearts of the Saints may be
cheered, and those who feel the
weight and responsibility of carry-
ing on the work you have so nobly
TEMPORAL CONCERNS, ETC.
29
undertaken, be encouraged and re-
lieved from any apprehensions they
might have felt in consequence of
the misfortunes and losses you have
recently sustained, which may Gk)d
grant, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at the Semi- Annual Conference, held in the Tabernacle
Salt Lake City, April 9, 1879.
(Reported hy Geo, F. Gibbs,.)
all temporal concerns need the attention of the saints — WE
should PREPARE FOR THE EVILS COMING UPON THE EARTH — CO-
OPERATION AND THE UNITED ORDER — FUNCTIONS OF THE TWO
PRIESTHOODS— HOME MANUFACTURES.
It has been very properly re-
marked that we are becoming a great
people, and there are a great many
interests of a temporal, as well as
spiritual nature, that must necessa-
rily be attended to — ^in fact it has
been so contemplated from the be-
ginning. We- talk sometimes of
earthly things : at other times we
speak of heavenly things. Some-
times we speak of things pertaining
to time, a^ s^t other times of things
pertaining TO eternity. We have to
do with both or we could not have
been here. And being here it is
proper we should come to a right
understanding in regard to the posi-
tion we occupy ; and especially that
we should comprehend our duties
relating to our temporal affairs and
by acting truthfully, honorably and
conscientiously avoid so much aiv-
noyance, trouble, litigation and diffi-
culty that so frequently exists. In re-
lation to the Gospel of the Son of
God, it gives us information per-
taining to our existence and to our
general relationship to God and to
each other, pointing out our various
duties and responsibilities. Associ-
ated with it is a priesthood which
among other things is to promul-
gate the will of God to the ends of
the earth; it has taught us prin-
ciples pertaining to our future, both
in relation to the living and the
dead, relative to the present, past
and future. We talk a great deal
about our Gospel, about our spirit*
ual affairs ; we hav^e our church or*
ganized according to certain prin-
ciples associated therewith. Wo
30
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
have a prieslhood organization, em-
bracing our Stake organization ; we
have organizations pertaining to
spiritual things, if you may so call
them, and also for temporal things,
for we have to do both with time
and with eternity, both with earthly
and with heavenly things, and con-
sequently it is necessary we should
be interested in all. When we re-
flect upon our position, there is some-
thing peculiar associated with it. At
first the Elders of this Church were
told to go forth and preach the Gos-
pel to every creature ; then they
were instructed to gather together
those who believed. According to
the Scriptures, ** I will take you one
of a city, and two of a family, and
I will bring you to Zion. And I
will give you pastors according to
mine heart, which shall feed you
with knowledge and understanding."
We are gathered together ; but
being gathered together there is
something more than spirituality as-
sociated with our existence. We
brought our bodies with us when
we came, and we necessarily have
to eat and drink and to have houses
to live in, etc.; in fact, we require
the common necessaries of life just
as much as any other people. And
then, if we have children, as Bishop
Hunter says, "there are none of
them born with shoes and stockings;"
.but these things have to be provided.
'Furthermore, being gathered to-
gether, we necessarily form a body
politic, if you please, and we cannot
help ourselves if we would ; but we
do not want to. We frame laws
according to the usage of the nation
we are associated with ; for being
here and finding ourselves in the
territory of the United States, we
necessarily have had to organize a
government which has assumed a
territorial form ; and that means a
legislature with its enjvctments and
all the various adjuncts of a govern-
ment. Laws have to be made, offi-
cers must be created to execute those
laws ; and we necessarily become an
integral part of these United States,
and have to perform all the political
functions associated therewith.
These things naturally flow unto
us, and they will continue to grow
and increase, if it be true what the
Scriptures say, and if it be true what
many of our brethren have preached
to you since the asi^embling of this
Conference. Then it becomes a mat-
ter for us to reflect upon that we
understand our true position, how
we can best sustain ourselves reli-
giously, socially, politically and
financially, and among other lessons
learn to produce at home those ar-
ticles we stand in need of
We have been brought up in the
world, and have imbibed many ideas
in common with mankind generally
pertaining to commerce, trade and
manufactures. But we need the in-
spiration of the Almighty in all of
the affairs of life ; for we profess
emphatically to be the people of Gkxi,
and as it is with us in our religion
so it ought to be with our politics,
our trade and manufactures. They
ought, in all things, to be subservient
to one grand principle, and that
is the acknowledgment of God and
his laws. Permit me here to state
that before the revelations of God to
man in these last days, there were
no people that had a correct know-
ledge of God, that we have any
knowledge of, anywhere upon the
earth. AH were without prophecy,
without revelation, without a know-
ledge of the doctrine or ordinances
of the Gospel. And to whom are
we indebted for a knowledge of
these things 1 Certainly not to our-
selves, and as assuredly not to any
earthly body or system in existence.
We are indebted alone to God for a
TEMPORAL CONCERNS, ETC.
31
knowledge of these things ; through
His revelations made first by himself
and by his well beloved Son, and
then by the ministering of holy
angels, by communication from the
heavens to the earth. We are in-
debted to him for all the light and
intelligence we possess in relation to
these things. What did we know
about the first principles of the Gos-
pel? Nothing. What did 'we know
about the gathering, or about Zion,
or about the ordinances of the Gos-
pel or about the holy priesthood 1
Nothing at all. Nor did we know
anything about the building of
Temples, or about the mode of ad-
ministering in them until directed by
the Almighty ; it was He who re-
vealed the^ necessity of the construc-
tion of those sacred edifices and the
mode of administering therein. What
does the outside world know about
these things 1 Nothing. And if
they had our Temples they could not
administer therein. We are in-
debted to God alone for the light
and intelligence we have received.
Again in regard to political mat-
ters, where is there a nation to-day,
under the face of the whole heavens
that is under the guidance and di-
rection of the Lord in the manage-
ment of their public affairs 1 You
cannot find one. It is true that the
founders of this nation, as a prelimi-
nary step for the introduction of
more correct principles and that lib-
erty and the rights of man might be
recognized, and that all men might
become equal before the law of the
land, had that great palladium of
hberty, the Constitution of the
United States, framed. This was
the entering wedge for the introduc-
tion of a new era, and in it were in-
troduced principles for the birth and
organization of a new world. The
Prophet Joseph Smith said that
"The Constitution of the United
States was given by the inspiration
of God." But good, virtuous and
holy principles may be perverted by
corrupt and Avicked men. The Lord
was opposed by Satan, Jesus had his
Judas, and this nation abounds with
traitors who ignore that sacred pal-
ladium of liberty and seek to trample
it under foot. Joseph Smith said
they would do so, and that when
deserted by all, the elders of Israel
would rally around its shattered
fragments and save and preserve it
inviolate. But even thisj good as
it was, was not a perfect instrument;
it was one of those stepping stones
to a future development in the pro-
gress of a man to the intelligence
and light, the power and union that
God alone can impart to the human
family. And while we acknowledge,
as citizens of the United States, the
laws and institutions thereof (which
by the way are very easily complied
with), we have a higher law, more
noble principles, ideas that are more
elevated and expansive; principles
that reach to the whole human
family, and which he will continue
to reveal to us. Does that prevent
us from obeying the laws of the landl
Certainly not. But then, is that a
perfect system*? I do not think
that many of you will say it is, nor
do I think that the people of the
United States of any political party
will tell you it is. I do not wish to
cast any reflections or refer to any
events that have taken place ; I am
merely speaking on religious prin-
ciples, and principles too in which
we as Latter-day Saints are inter-
ested. We are united, then, as a
body politic, as an integral part of
this Government, and it becomes
our duty to submit to the laws and
institutions of that Government —
to all that are constitutional, framed
32
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
and based upon correct principles,
and not in violation of what the
fathers of the country instituted.
But have we any higher aim than
this 1 We have. Do any object 1
If so why should they'? Do we in
anywise interfere with any man's
rights, Government, or make war
upon any parties ? No, but we are
interested in the preservation of jus-
tice, equality and the rights of man
in the developement of peace, the
further establishment of correct,
more elevated, refined and exalted
principles, in placing ourselves in a
position more in accordance with
things as they exist in the heavens,
for the welfare and happiness of the
human family. God has given unto
us certain principles which we feel
bound to observe. Is there anjrthing
wrong in this ] I think not. We
have all kinds of institutions here in
the United States and in other na-
tions, such as Odd Fellows, Free
Masons, and others ; and they have
a right to their ideas and manner of
doing things as long as they observe
the laws, and so have we, and have a
right to be protected also in those
rights. But to say we must stand
still is a thing not connected with
our creed. If others do not desire
to accompany or keep pace with us,
we must still go on under the guid-
ance of the Lord. As was said of
ancient Israel, "The Lord is our
God, the Lord is our king, the Lord
is our judge, and he shall rule over
us," so we say. We need informa-
tion and revelation in regard to our
religious matters, we also need in-
formation, intelligence and revelation
in regard to our political, social and
all temporal matters. If we humble
ourselves and purify ourselves, and
magnify our callings as the Elders
of Israel, according to the Scriptures,
we will yet teach the princes of this
world wisdom and their kings know-
ledge and understanding ; for these
things that are spoken of will as-
suredly come to pass when " out of
Zion shall go forth the law, and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
The purposes of God shall yet be ful-
filled in relation to these matters ;
GU)d's work will most assuredly pro-
gress, until " the kingdoms of this
world shall become the kingdoms of
our God and his Christ, and he will
rule for ever and ever," not in war,
not in confusion and strife and dis-
cussions, not in evil and corruption ;
but in the interests of humanity, ac-
cording to the laws of life and in ac-
cordance with the intelligence that
dwells in the bosoms of the Gods,
and in the interests of a fallen
world.
Now we come to other matters
pertaining to our mercantile associa-
tions, I might talk further about
our social relations, etc., however,
these are subjects we hear a good
deal about ; we are pretty well in-
formed in relation to them. The in-
formation we have pertaining to our
associations with our wives, and wives
with their husbands has been re-
vealed to us by God, and we are
striving to carry out those eternal
principles, — ^principles that will ex-
alt us, our progenitors and our pos-
terity in the celestial kingdom, where
we can enjoy the presence of God
and that of the celestial hosts who
have gone before
We come again to our temporal
interests. Has the world been our
exemplar with regard to any of
these things that I have mentioned ?
No, the Lord has been our teacher,
He has been our guide and director;
without him we could have accom-
plished nothing, for we knew no
more naturally than anybody else
did.
In relation to temporal things. Are
we capable, as Latter-day Saints, of
TBMPOBAL CONCERNS^ KTC.
8»
falfilling our destiny on the earth,
and procuring a full temporal salva-
tion and sustaining ourselves, on
temporal principles without the in-
terposition of the Almighty ] I tell
you no, we are not, no more than we
are in regard to any other things.
We read in the Scriptures of a time
that is coming when there will be a
howling among the merchants in
Babylon, for men will not be found
to buy their merchandise. This is
in accordance with the prediction of
John the Revelator. And the gold
and the silver and the fine linen, etc.,
in Babylon will be of no avail. But
before that time comes, we as a
people must prepare for those events,
that we may be able to live and
sustain ourselves when in the midst
of convulsions that by and by will
overtake the nations of the earth,
and among others, this nation. The
time that is spoken of is not very
far distant. " He that will not take
up his sword against his neighber,
must needs flee to Zion for safety.**
And Zion herself must flee to the
God of Israel and hide herself in
t;he shadow of his wing, seeking for
his guidance and direction to lead
her in the right path, both as regards
spiritual and temporal affairs; things
social and things political, and every-
thing pertaining to human existence.
We are not prepared as a people to-
day for the accomplishment of this
object ; we need the interposition
and guidance of the Almighty. It
is judt as necessary that we be under
his guidance in relation to these
ihatters, as it is in regard to any
other matters. Who made the
earth 1 The same being that made
the heavens. Who made our
bodies 1 The same bein^ that made
our souls ; and it takes the " body
amd the spirit to make the soul of
man.** We need not ari*ogate to
ourselves any particular intelligence,
whether of mercantile, manufacture
ing, chemical or scientific nature, for
if there is anything good or intel-
ligent, it is the Lord who has im-
parted it, whether man acknowledge
it or not. We want to acknowledge
the Lord in all things, temporal a&
well as spiritual,
I wish now more directly to touch
upon some other principles associ-
ated therewith. Some of us seem to
be very much confused in our minds
as to how we shall operate in regard
to temporal affairs. We have
brought with us the feelings, views
and ideas of the people from whence
we came, which are conflicting, and
which tend to disintegration and di-
vision, knd lead to covetousness and
fraud, which ought not to have an
existence among the Saints of God.
We have advertisements published
in our newspapers by the Latter-day
Saints too, things that are infamous,
that are untrue, that are a shame
and a disgrace among honorable
people, and stand as a living lie*
The community at large should not
countenance such^ things as we see
daily in our papers to attract the
attention of the unwary and brinj
what they call grists to their mill^
in the interest of the individual.
We as a people are not called to-
gether to act in individual inierests;
we are called together as Saints of
God to operate in the interests of
the Zion of God, for the welfare et
Israel, and not let ourselves float
along with the balance, and all swim
together, or all 'sink together. We
ought to be governed by principle*
of union, fellowship and righit feelr>
ing, carrying out Jhonorable and up-
right principles' that should be ac-
knowledged before God,, the holy,
angels and all hQiiQrable men.
Now after speaking so muc'h upon^
general principles, let me touch uyou
some things teierred to here about.
'Vol XXI.
u
JOtTRMAL OF DISOOXmSXS.
these reports, etc. We have long
talked about the united order and
about 6o-operation ; and we have
started in a good deal like some of
our little boys when they begin to
run — we have made a great many
stumbles in this matter. Little
Willie and Annie often think they
can manage things better than
Daddy and Mammy ; and we, like
them, have assumed to ourselves
strength, and the first thing we
know are pulling this way, that way
and the other. Then, have the in-
stitutions been exactly right ] No,
all kinds of foolishness and all kinds
of blunderings have occurred in their
administration. But shall we quit 1
I think not ; that is just what the
devil would like, just what many of
Our merchants want, and it would
be the very thing that would suit
the world, and the devil would laugh
at us. What we want to do is to
purge out the things that are wrong,
^d correct them and place them
Upon a correct basis, and then adhere
to them as we would any other part
of our religion. In the Church, if a
man lies or swears, or commits adul-
tery, or does anything wrong, we
deal with him according to the laws
of the Church. But because men
do wrong, we do not abandon our
principles, nor leave the Church, but
we turn such individuals out that
will not be righted, and we aim to
adjust all things and place them on
a proper basis. Why not do the
same in temporal thingsl We have,
for instance, Zion*s Co-operative
Mercantile Institution; it is called
the Parent Institution, and it ought
to be the parent of all these institu-
tions and act as a father and protec-
tor and benefactor, doins all it can
to promote the welfare and prosperity
of the people. And then the people,
on the other hand, ought to protect
it and sustain it by doing their busi-
ness through that institution and
act prudently, wisely, orderly and
unitedly in regard to these matters,
that we may be one ; for our revela-
tions tell us, If we are not one, we
are not the Lord's. And if we are
not the Lord's, whose are wet
We talk sometimes about the
United Order. I do not propose tOj
read to you on this occasion froni
any of the revelations bearing on
this subject, but will quote to yott
in substance from one of them. The
Lord has told us that those who
would not comply with the require-
ments connected with this ord^r
should have their names erased from
the book of the law of God, and
their genealogies must not be found
on any church records or history,
their names shall not be found nor
the names of the fathers, nor the
names of the children written ia
the book of the Law of God. These
words are to us, Latter-day Saints;
they are true and are binding upon
us.
Another thing ; what did we do
when President Young was among
us, urging these things upon usi
Did we not enter into covenant by
re-baptism to be subject to the
Priesthood in temporal as well as
spiritual things, when we took upon
ourselves the obligations of the
United Orderl Let me ask you^
what do we mean by doing this?
Is it a mere form, a farce, or do we
intend to carry out the covenants
we made ? I tell you in the name
of Israel's God they will be carried
out, and no man can plow around
these things, for God has decreed
that they shall be accomplished ;
and any man who sets himself in
opposition to these principles which
God has established, he will root
him out; but the principle itself
will not be rooted out, for God will
see that it is accomplished. And in
TEMPORAL OONOfiRNS, STC.
8$
the name of Israel's God we will
help him to ido it ; and ftll who feel
to do it| say amen. (The large con-
gregation responded with a loud,
" Amen.")
We have started co-operative in-
stitutions, and I will touch on a
principle now, showing how they
ought to be governed. God has or-
dained two priesthoods upon the
earth — the Melchisedec and the
Aaronic. The Melchisedec presides
more especially over the spiritual
affairs of the Church, and has done
in all ages when it has existed upon
the earth. You will find this pro-
vided for in the Doctrine and Cove-
nants ; you can hunt it up at your
leisure, I do not wish to stop to
make the quotation now. The
Aaronic priesthood is presided over
by the presiding bishop. If we had
a literal descendant of Aaron he
weuld have a right to preside over
the bishopric, and to operate and
manage and direct these things
without the aid of counselors. In
the absence of such men the Lord
has directed us to take men from
the high priesthood and set them
apart to be bishops to administer in
temporal things. This Aaronic priest-
hood is an appendage to the Mel-
chisedec priesthood, and its province
is to administer in temporal affairs.
One reason why we want men of
this class to administer in temporal
things is because there is a special
provision made for it. Nevertheless
'a High Priest that is after the order
ef Melchisedec may be set apart to
administer in temporal things, hav-
ing a knowledge of them by the Spirit
0f truth. And before a man attempts
to administer in Zion in temporal
things, he ought to obtain a know-
ledge of that spirit of truth to admi-
nister according to the intelligence
which that spirit of truth imparts.
Thus we have the Aaronic priest-
hood in its place ; the Melchisedec
priesthood in its place. And in all
the various functions it is necessaiT
to enter into all the various orgam-
zations. It is on one or two particular
points that I wish te speak now.
In the first place the Lord re*
quires certain things to be done to
meet his approbation ; and every*
thing has to be done under the di-^
rection of the presidency of the
Twelve, both temporal things and
spiritual things. The bishops and
the presidents of Stakes and all the
officers in the Church of God are
subject to this authority and they
cannot get around it. And when
any officer of this Church who by
virtue of his calling does things
without counselling with the proper
authorities of the Church, he takes
upon himself things that he has no
right to do, and such a course can-
not be acceptable before Grod anpl the
Priesthood.
Now then, we come to the bishop-
ric. Ought the bishops to be con-
sulted in regard to temporal things t
Yes, they ought And as an ex-
ample, let me tell you that for the
last year Bishop Hunter has associ-
ated with the Council of the Twelve
whenever they have met to censider
temporal matters. And I may say
we have been pleased to have his
company, because it was his place to
understand the position of temporal
things, that we may know his feel-
ings, and counsel with him and he
with us, that everything may be
done according to the order and
laws of God, that there may be per-
fect unanimit}'. With this view h#
was placed as one of the counselors
to the Trustee-in-Trust — because the
Trustee-in-Trust thought it belonged
to him to hold* that position, and
thinks so to-day. But then, does
he preside over the Melchisedec
Priesthood 1 No, he does not. Who
86
^ovikjkxim o9 msoovtmtok
iMd what ii be 1 A kigh priesl'm:-
jSn^edraofd se^ aplart to the bishop-
S*5. By whom? The Presideney.
066 he control the Plresidency ) No,
)ve( is set apart by them ; as bishop
he is an appendage to the higher
ppiesthood, and does not control it.
^o man controls it. I remember a
r$«iark made on one occasion by
Joseph Smith, in speaking with
Bishop Partridge, wlio was then
Bishop. He was a splendid good
tamiy as Bishop Hunter is. But he
got some erooked ideas into his
bead ; he though't h^ ought to man-
age some things irrespective of
tl^oseph, which caused Joseph to
speak rather sharply to him. Joseph
paid, I wish you lio understand' that
{ am President of tMs. Church, and
J am your president,- and I preside
over you and all your affairs. Is
that correct doctrinel Yes. It was
$rue then and it id true to-day^
Well, it is necessary that we
ahould have an • understanding of
t^ese thingSi that we may make no
tnistakes in our administration. I
3¥ant, th(Qn, ih all our operations to
confer with our bikhops. And if
this institution of ours is '' Zion's
^Co-operative," then it should be
under the direction of Zion, under
the direction of the 'Priesthood ;
MDd if it is not ^^Zioa's"' Cooperative,
^en it is a living lie. • But do .w«
wish to interfi^re with them 1 No,
we do not. Do we wish to inter-
(Tuptthem in aiiy of their operations?
JSfo, we >^nt to help theib; we want
to unite them and all the people
into one, with God ai> 6ur head,
f^vemed by the holy priesthood.
, aive they rights? Yes. Do we
^respect them? Yes. Have the
.people rights? Yes. • ^Shall the
people be respec|ed>iiR their rights ?
{Yes, they shall, aJl the people^ in all
fthe Stakes; and while we sustain
(th^tti they must^^t&in us>; and if
they espect'to have our support^
they must give us theirs,
Having said so much, I will teU^
you that I believe sincerely that^
the men managing our Co-operative*
Institution are doing just as well as
they know how. And 1 will statfe
further, that I don't know of any;
persons in this community who know>
how better than they do. And I
have been now for some time asso-
ciated with them, and am acquainted
with their proceedings.
There are other principles besides
this ; we want to learn to manufacr
ture our own goods. And wliile oft
the one hand we use the best tsdelkt
and financial ability we can get to^
attend to our mercantile institutioaa i
on the other hand, we need t#
cherish a spirit to encourage hoixt^
manufactures of every kind, and wt
want* to get this institution to hel]^
us do it. If we manufacture clotbft
and bootsand shoes or anything ekt?^.
we want the institution to cUspoo^
of our goods. If we need encouragi^
ment in regard to the introductao]^
of any noanuftotures of £(ny kind, vf^
want them to iielpus, and we hate
a right to expect this of them so far
as is wise, ptudeilit and leigitimatA;
I"M11 state that the directors of Z*<i
M. I. feol interested in the v^ly
things that I aoi taUiing about, aqA
I say it to their credit and for yoijlr
satisfaction. I do not think there ^
an institution in the United Statte
in a better condition than that is to-
day ; and it is improving all ;th9
time, not after any fi<^titious mdno-
ner, but on a solid, firm, reliaUo
basis. Now then, I have proposi^
to these brethren, which they qui;!tii»
coincide with, that when they shzul
be able to pay a certaiu amount as
dividends on the nieani^ invested,
at*ter reserving a suffiaient amoimt
to presei-Ve tlie institutioh inhc^
against any stidden emergency thSt
TEMPORAL COKCKRNS, SIC.
n
iftay arise, which is prop<»r among
4ffl wise and ittt^ligent men, that
th^ the prdiitB of- the institution
oHtside of this, . shou^H be appro-
plSated for the development of the
b6me manufaqtures, the making of
liiachinery, the introduction of self-
jBUstaining principles and the build-
ing up of the Territory generally,
and they acquiesced in this feeling ;
ajpd I say it to their honor and credit.
And I will tell you again that the
Ohurch has got a large interest in
that institution, consequently we
wish to see everything go aright, not
«n any wild erratic principle, but on
a solid, firm, reliable basis, that can
be carried out and that will elicit
the admiration and confidence of all
:good and honorable men.
Sometimes little difficulties have
arisen outside through interested in-
<iividuals who have resorted to a
good deal of trickery ; other times
perhaps from just causes. And 1
will say too that complaints have
been made that we have not suffici-
ently sustained our home manufac-
tures. I will say however that the
Institution has stood in a very deli-
-cate position. We have been strug-
gling with the financial crisis that
has cast a gloom over all this nation
for the last nuniber of years — ^since
1873. But we are now getting into
a «olid firm position, and when we
declared 3 per cent, for the six
months dividend, it was because the
Institution was able to do so. And
when we are able to ' extend this a
little farther we will be quite willing
to do so.
Some of the complaints that hdve
been rarfde- against the institution
we have heard ; and wfe have thought
best to • have a board and refer to
that board any complaints that
might be made from any part of the
Territory. This board that has been
temporarily organized has given ns
these various reports which hata*
been read in your hearint^, which in-'
dicate their views a^nd feelings hi/
regard to these things. We wi^fi kj;
boird of that kind to be organizOT*^
upon a correct basis according to the*
order of this Ohurch and Kingdom-
of God ; and then as the people;
throughout the Territory send to.
purchase their goods from them, let;
the people that make these purchases-
be represented ; and if the^re is any-*
thing not straight in their operations*
let them be made straight. And'
this is what this committee is for,^
that the people may be protected as '
well as the Institution.
Then Stake organizations are re-
commended, with a representative
from each Stake at the general or
central board, and it will make it
much more pleasant for the manage-
ment of that Institution to have a
criticism of that kind. And it will
also tend to allay many of these
foolish things which are frequently
put in circulation in different parts
of the Territory. The object then,
of this Board is that the people may
be represented, and that Zion's Co-
operative may also be properly -
represented, that it may serve as a
balance wheel to adjust and correct
any mattery of difficulty that may
arise.
I am happy to say that in many :
parts of the Territory they are intro-
ducing the manufacture of leather
and boots and shoes and a variety of
other articles. And suffice it to say
that, according to these reports, the
Parent Institution has sustained the:
manufacturers of these home-made
articles quite liberally ; and we want
it to be in that position that every-
thing we use can be bought there.
This is, too, the feeling in relation
to this matter. And when we get
things into a proper fix we will pull
with a long pull and a strong pull
ss
JOURNAL OF DIS00URSE6.
^d a pull altogether. We will
strive to be one ; and if we cannot
go so far as to sustain co-operation
in regard to these things, how in
tihe name of common sense are we
eyer going into the United Order 1
But we will begin with this, and
then co-operate in all the different
Stakes, not only in your merchandis-
ing, but in your manufacturing af-
fairs and in your producing affairs ;
and in every thing it will be the
duty of this general Board of Trade
tp regulate the interests of the whole
community, honestly and faithfully,
at least we will do it according to
the best ability we have; and if thera
should any mistakes arise, wo .
will try to correct them ; if they ara
on the part of the people, we will ,
talk to them about it, if on the part
of the institution, we will talk ta
its management about it. And we
will keep working and operating
until we succeed in introducing ana
establishing these things that God
has desired, and until Zion shall b^
a united people and the glory oi all
the earth.
God bless you and lead you in the
path of life, in the name of Jesus^
Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT,
Delivebed in the 13th Waed Meeting House, Salt Lake City'
November 23bd, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine,)
salvation dependent upon effort and progress — ^WE SHOULD NOT
BE DISCOURAGFD BY DIFFICULTY.
My brethren and sisters : I can
say that I have had some very pleas-
ant and interesting reflections while
listening to Brother Fowler's re-
marks, and think the purpose for
which we have met this evening has
been a success. I have felt that I
have been fed, that I have been
blestsed, and that I shall carry with
me more or less of the influence and
spirit of those remarks^ and upon re-
flection we all understand that this-
is really the purpose for which wo
come together.
Mormonism, in a sense, is opposed
to formality. All that there is as- ;
sociated with it is meant for use„
and there are results expected X% ac-;
crue from all the practices of the •
Church that have been established
by revelation, and everything is in- ;
tended to aid in the great work:
SALVATION DEPENDANT UPON EFEORT, ETC.
39
which we call salvation. To be sure,
that is a very commoQ word, it is a
word that we are all familiar with,
it is something that we have heard
from the time that we were children,
from the time that we went to Sab-
bath school, and before we went
there, and after we attained to youth
and manhood. But in the light of
the Gospel how narrow and con-
tracted and how oflfeusive the word
in its sectarian sense becomes to us,
80 much so that many of us scarcely
like to use it ; we would prefer to
use another expression which more
thoroughly carries with it all the
ideas associated with the reception
and practice of the Gospel.
Our memory has been cited to the
fact that during the history of this
Church, and during the history of
the primitive church, there were
those who possessed the spirit of
unbelief, there were those who be-
came more or less indifferent and
negligent in regard to that which
they received, and we have been re-
ferred to the history of those who
have fallen from this Church — men
who have seen great things, men
who have had wonderful experiences,
men whom we might have considered
as stable as the eternal hills by vir-
tue of that experience. Now what
is the difficulty in such cases 1 What
is the difficulty in any cases, in your
case, and in my case, when we lose
an interest in the things pertaining
. to the kingdom of God ] Is it . a
healthy sign 1 or is it not rather, if
continued, a sign of approximating
death ) Is the man or the woman
who are alive to their duties — are
they those who apostatize 1 Is it
the faithful m^n or the active, stir-
ring woman, who are laboring ear-
nestly, following the practice and
principles of the Gospel, that leave
the Church *? No, it is not, but it
is those who, frona some cause or
other, become cold, heartless, indif-
ferent, and i^eglectful of their duties.
Salvation, in its largest aspect,
consists in the proportion of truth
received ; men and women only are
saved in proportion to the truth
which they appropriate. An igno-
rant man will only obtain the salva-
tion which belongs to the ignorant.
The idler will only obtain that salva-
tion which belongs to an idle man.
Is it not '* the hand of the diligent
that raaketh rich ]" and there are
parallels running through all the
actions of the Saints in a religious
sense similar to those which run
through the actions of men in a
social sense, even down to the lowest
details of human life, into every
avenue of life, in every direction in
which human happiness is involved,
constituting as they do in their en-
tirety that which is spoken by the
Apostle Paul, '^ how shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation )*' I
presume, if I am to judge by my ex-
perience, that every man and every
woman realizes that it is just in pro-
portion to our experience^ our use of
the opportunities of life, our under-
standing of the principles involved,
that we are successful. If you find
a man who essays to be a merchant,
who desires the accumulation of
wealth, you will £ud a man who
points his energies in that direction.
He is a man who not only looks at
things in general but at things in
detail ; he not only looks at his
business as a whole but he looks at
it in its parts ; &nd if he were to
abstain or refrain from a considera-
tion of the details which insure suc-
cess the probability is that he would
find himself in the courts of liquida-
tion. Many a man, fortunate in a
a mercantile sense, Ivas gone to the
wall through carelessness in regard
to little things as boxes, paper, time,
etc., through trival waste that every
40
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSEB.
prudent man woulfl be disposed to
hotice ; but the successful merchant
in almost any instance — and these
instances are the exception and not
the rule, is the man who is economi-
cal, prudent and careful of the de-
tails of his business. If you go into
our houSes, and you take our girls
that are grown up, and they are
unable to bake bread, unable to cook
a potato, unable to wash and attend
to all the duties which belong to
domestic life, how much of a domes-
tic s<alvation will they receive 1
What attraction will there be for the
husband, working away in the battle
of life, when he comes home to find
that rest which is so desirable] Our
domestic salvation depends upon at-
tention to the details which lie at
the foundation of domestic happi-
ness, and there can be no peace in
the domestic circle where there is a
lack of intelligence, there can be no
success only where the good house-
wife masters the details of her daily
life.
As it is in these two eveiy-day
yet diverse instances of life, so also
it is in all other directions, and the
* same principle is just as prominent
and just as applicable to the details
of our most holy faith. You go out
' into the missionary field and preach
* the Gospel of our Lord and Savior
•Jesus Christ. After you have
^pnished your discourse some one
' ixiay come up to you and say, " my
^ friend, I believe the doctrine which
" you teach, I acknowledge the exist-
' ence of the Deity, I believe in the
message of hib son, I understand the
jiecessity of obedience to the first
* principles — including baptism." But
mark when a man has been baptized
'if he becomes careless and indifferent
*'and says " Well; I am a member of
^'the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
t 'day Saints to this extent.'* In your
X. estimation now, what would be the
amount of salvation that man would
receive % Why, he might receive the
remission of his sins and that is all
he is entitled to, but the salvation
which belongs to the ordinance of
the " la3dng on of hands" would form
no part of his blessings. But sup-
posing he advances a step further
and says : " Having done so well I
w(»uld like to enjoy a little more of
the blessings," and he goes and re-
ceives the laying on of hands. He
feels tlie promptings of the spirit of
intelligence from above, he rejoices
in its influence; it suggests, persuades
counsels, and advises. Sup})osing
that under the operations of this
spirit he should turn adeafear toits
promptings — suppose that itprompts
him to go in one direction and he
feels to run the other, suppose that
he should resist this influence, how
much of a salvation in that respect
would he receive % For instance, you
are all aware of the power of the
spirit, or rather the impulse it gives
to gathering. We have all felt this.
It has been a part of our experience
when we have been under the influ-
ence of that spirit ; we desired to as-
sociate with the Saints in a local
capacity, in their general assemblies,
and in a larger sense we have been
desirous of gathering with them to
the great gathering place wherever
that may be. Suppose that spiHt of
gathei ing is resisted, and a man says
** Well, 1 have got a good situation
here, a nice little home, 1 enjoy the
society in which I mingle" — and he
continues in that course, how on
earth or heaven or any where else,
can that man get the special and
particular salvation which belongs
to gathering ? It cannot be done ;
it is not in the nature of things. If
he w^ould enjoy that salvation he
must absorb the principle of gather-
ing until it grows and blossoms into
life. And there are those even in
SALVATION DEPENDENT UPON EFFORT, ETC.
ll
this Territory who, when they get
:among the Saints believe that M the
SUrpoees of their holy religion have
een served in their experience, and
they set themselves down and say,
'* Well now, I will endeavor to get
for myself a good home ; I will try
to make myself comfortable ; I will
spread out on the right hand and on
the left; and as for some duties
•which pertain to my religion — well,
' I have not time to attend to tliem,
•they absorb too much of my atten-
tion, and I will give my life to mak-
ing myself and family comfortable."
They think that because they have
' been baptized, because they enjoy
the spirit of the Lord through the
laying on of hands, because they
have forsaken fatherland and come
to the mountains, that, therefore,
they are sure of ** the great salva-
tion " which the Gospel brings.
Why, it is all a mistake. They will
get the salvatien which is necessary
consequent upon the truth which
- they have absorbed and put into
• practice ;* no more and no less.
Again, we find that some of our
- people when Christmas comes round
' will begin to make excuses in regard
to their tithing. Now, titliing is
one of the eternal principles which
. pertains to the order of God. But
a man goes up to his Bishop and
says, •'Well now, it's all I can do to
•' make both ends meet ; the necessi-
ties of my family, the responsibilities
' and cares that belong to the position
in which I move, compel me to use
all the income I receive, and it
scarcely suflBces to serve my wants."
Do you believe that that man will
over enjoy that particular portion
of salvation which belongs to those
who promptly pay their tithes to
the Lord 1 No, it cannot be done ;
that map never can enjoy the special
and peculiar blessing that belongs to
all those who pay their tithing.
You go into a man's house and
you find there disorder, children dis-
puting, the wives — two or three as
the case may be — at loggerheads (to
use a rather vulgar expression) in
fact the spirit of peace has fled from
the hearthstone,' what salvation in a
domestic sense does that man enjoyi
Is that the outcome of the order of
family government, or rather was it
not instituted to promote peace and
harmony, so that we might have a
type of the great heaven which we
desire to enjoy in the not far distant
future ? The man who would have
domestic salvation has got to work
for it. He must understand the
nature of the element with which he
deals, he mnst so manipulate that it
will bring forth the domestic salva-
tion which he earnestly seeks. But
supposing a man has got tlie peace
he (Jesires in this respect, yet in the
morning as in the evening the song
of prayer or praise is never heard in
his house. Now there is a certain
position of domestic salvation which
pertains to the carrying out of these
ideas and principles which we have
received that cannot be secured by
any other process, and the man who
neglects to have family prayers, and
.to induce and persuade his family to
join in, has lost one of the great
elements which operate and secure
for him and his, domestic salvation.
Well, now, there are some who
attend to all these duties ; but still
there are a great many other prin
ciples that require to be observed. A
man, for instance, has got the wife
of his yoirth and a little family grow-
ing up, yet there is a principle in
the Church of Christ called patri-
archal marriage, and many a woman
in regard to this will say to her hus-
band, " Now let us be satisfied to
leave well enough alone. If your
family circle is enlarged, you will
increase your responsibility, and
42
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
there is great risk connected with
the introduction of a foreign element
in your family. It is true there
may be peace, but it is far more like-
ly that there will be contention or
division." Now, is there any ad-
vantage in the practice of the patri-
archal order ] That is the question.
If there is — and I know there is, in
spite of any difficulty connected
therewith — how can you expect to
enjoy any benefit which accrues from
the practice of this eternal principle
and yet remain in neglect or disobe-
dience of that principle. It cannot
be done. A great many think that
it can, and they will employ all
manner of subterfuge to back up
their position. They will read the
revelation on the subject, and they ter I have described I inVariably
that we may ensure success t In
the common walks of life we are
a^ustomed to notice men and women
who pride themselves in the. assur-
ance that where others have failed
they have brought forth success.
The same idea is applicable to many
in the direction of the patriarchal
order. Where a man has failed in
one or some other given direction,
that failure should be an impetus to
his neighbor, requiring and stirring
him to use ail his ability so as to
secure success.
Now when I was in the old world
I met a great many of the brethrien
there who were engaged like myself
in the work of the ministry, and
whenever I met a man of the ^harac-
will construe and misconstrue all
that it says, in order to justify them-
selves in the position which they
have assumed ; but every man and
every woman may rest satisfied that
the blessings which flow from this
order of the Church of Christ can-
not be secured by any other process
than the one pointed out by Divine
authority. "But," says one, "I
have known in my experience where
difficulties have originated tbreugh
the practice of this principle." Very
true. Have you never known of
difficulties originating in any ether
direction or arising from th« practice
of any other principle 1 Were there
no difficulties get before you when
you were baptized 1 Were there no
difficulties presented before you
when you thought of gathering?
Were there no difficulties in your
way when you endeavored to make
your feet fast in the valleys of the
mountains? Is it not difficulties
that make the man 1 Is it not diffi-
culties that make the woman 1 Is it
not those circumstances and changes
found that he was shorn of power,
that he did not carry with him thai
full influence which a missionary of
the Gospel should carry ; at all
events he had not that influence
which practice and experience gives
in this direction and I have imagined
a case to myself sometimes. In go-
ing into any small town or country
village, into the midst of those pe-
culiar influences which exist in Eng-
land, you will find an audience con-
gregated on the village green or else-
where listening to the missionajy*
After he is through M'ith his dis-
course a man steps up and says^ I
have heard the remarks you have
made ; I believe in the principles
that you advocate ; bu4 I am at the
mercy of the squire, or of the * Lord
of the Manor ' here, or the owner of
this coal pit, or the one who runs
this factory, and if I should embrace
the doctrine that you preach I should
be turned . out of my cottage ; I
should lose the opportunity of earn-
ing my bread, my boys and girls
would be thrown out of employment,
of life that call forth every energy and I should soon be all astray in a
and arouse us to continued action so
financial and industrial sense.'*
SALVATION DSPSNDBNT UPON BFFECT, ETC.
What does the elder say in a case
of that kind ) He says, ''My friend
I hear all your argum^tit It is very
good^ that is so lag as it goes, but
the Lord has promised to take eare
of his Saints ; he has promised that
when one door shuts another shall
open ; and he has declared by revela-
tion that it is his business to provide
for his Saints ; and now if you will
go down in humility and be baptized
and associate yourselves with the
church, and kingdom of God upon
the earth your way will be opened
before you." The elder believes
what he is advocating. The man
goes down and is baptized, and sure
enough directly it comes to his em-
ployer's ears, he receives a week's
notice to quit his work, or quit his
cottage, as the case may be. lie pulls
a long face when the elder comes
round again, but the elder says,
''never mind, all will come out
right ; exercise your faith ; trust in
Providence; do what is right and
let the consequence follow." Soon
after this the nuin gets a good situa-
tion and a.n advance of a tew shillings
per week probably ; the Lord has
blessed him, he has opejied up his
way before him, and the words of
the servant of God have been fulfilled.
By and by through this increase he
gets to Zion, and arriving there he
goes to visit the house of this mission-
ary and be introduced to his family.
After awhile he takes the elder to
one side and says, " How long have
you been in Utah r And the answer
is ten, fifteen, or twenty years, as
the case may be. " You are pretty
comfortable, nice little house well
famished." " Oh yes, first rate."
Is this all the family you have got 1"
" Yes, this is all I have got ; never
had but one wife ; I could not main-
tain any more fanoilies." " But says
the man, " did you not tell me when
I got baptized to keep all the
conmiandments of God ; did you not
tell me it was the Lord's business ta
provide for the Saints ; did you nofi:
nmke the assertion that the path o£
duty was the path of safety f **:
Yes' says the elder, "that may do.
very well for Babylon, but it won't
do here in Zion." Now there ia
something not right here ; there is
surely a weak point somewhere. I£
the principle is good in the midst o£
the nations, it is good at home, and
if men are honest and honorable
in the practice of that which they
know to be right in the valleys of
the mountains, the path of succesa
will as surely open before them as it
did to the man who received the
Gospel in a foreign land. A great
many of the brethren think they can«
not afford to keep any more families..
I rememember when I was a lad I
used to think and say I should not
be able to keep myself, and on re^
marking this to my landlady she re^
plied : " I have often found that a
man who thinks he cannot keep him-
self can keep a wife and five or six
children." Why? Because the
responsibility called forth his
energies ; he became speculative and
energetic in order to secure success.
There is a blessing, there is an ele-
ment of salvation, there is something
which tends to progress in the obedi-
ence to every principle that has
been received, so far, in connection
with the church and kingdom of
God, and every man and every wo-
man will receive only that amount
of salvation for which they work.
Our measure of salvation, then, con-
sists in the absorption of the truth
we hear. Truth neglected, truth
unemployed, truth unappropriated,
is as valueless as the snows of ten
winters ago are for the irrigation of
our fields in the coming summer.
But where the spirit of life is, where
the spirit of vitality exists, where
44
JOORKAL OF DISCOUKBliIS;
throughout the whole organiaation
^f a man there burns the spirit of
hiiellige^ce, the spirit of advance-
iHaeDt, he will lead out continually in
ihe right direction, and his wives
4ind children will follow after him,
they will catch his spirit, his neigh-
"bors will feel his influence, the ward
to which he belongs will feel after
and emulate his example, and society
^nerally will be the better for his
presence ; but when this coldness,
this indifference, this negligence
comes in, why, the blessings
that belong to obedience will
not be received any more than
the blesshigs that belong to
our attending meeting on a
Sunday can be received if
we stay at home. I recollect
B, person saying to me once,
*" Well, who preached to-day f
^* Oh brother so and so.'-
<* Well, I know all he can say j
and besides when such and such
persons pi^ach I can stay at home
and read the Bible" — and not much
«f that I think — " I c^n read th«
Book of Mormon, Doctrine, and
Covenants, deseret new^s, and any
Off the books publisiied by the Church
and I enjoy myself better than I do
in going to meting.'' Now is that
a faot) A m»n may think so ; hat
is it a /fact that a Inan can incrottse.
in the knowledge of the things cf
God if he absents himself from the
services of the sanctuaiy as estab-
lished by divine appointment % I say,
no. The meeting house is the place
where the table is spread, where the
food is prepared by the eternal spirit,:
and when we go there and hear men-
speak to us under the influence of
that spirit, and we are in possession*
of the same spirit— we are fed, we
grow and increase, and the roots and
fibres of our being run deeper, amd
so enable us to ^' bring forth more
fruit"
I presume the time is exhausted.
I desire to continue faithful to the
appropriation of truth, wheresoever
it may originate ; no matter where,
for all truth is divine. It is my
privilege to enjoy the spirit of
inspiration, to feelthe flow of revela-
tion from above ; and that .God may
grant us peace and wisdom and save
us in his kingdom is my prayer,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE WOU> OF THB LORD, BTC.
4a
DISCOtJRSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
In THB Tabernacle, Pfiovr), Saturday Mornino, November
29th, 1879.
(Repoiied by Geo. F. Gibbs..)
THE word of THB LORD TO THE OHURCH GIVEN THROUGH THE
AUTHORITIES — ^AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE SUSTAINED - POWERS OF
THE PRIESTHOOD — SPHERE OP WOMAN.
I feel thankfal te meet with the
lAtter-day Saints in this house to
participate in the enjoyment of this
Conferenoe ; for it is really enjoy-
ment to me to listen to the instruc-
tions imparted to the Saints by the
power of the Holy Ghost through
tiie, covenants of God. It is not
supposed that when we come toge-
tiier as we do Ihis morning, that we
wish to be treated to the views and
pinions of men. The Lord has
instructed his servants to speak as
t^y are moved upon by the Holy
Ghost, and it had been shown to us
that it is our privilege when we
i^emble on suohoocasions to receive
iiiBtractions, not in the enticing
words' of main's wisdom, but in the
ieiQonstration and power of the
$oly Ghost y and this will be the
we when we ^semble in the right
way and unite our faith and oui;
^tj^ntion and our spiritual energy
so as to call down upon us the bles-
sings of the Almighty, and to have
^ presence of those influences,
^hose mimstering spirits who are
ft^lf forth to minister to the heirs of
fslvation. It is our privilege in these
fuhlic gatl^erings fippointed for the
YqcsIhP of Qod, to-bave ,thp presence
of these holy ones in our midst, and
to have the power of the Almighty
to rest upon both speaker and hear-
er, that we may be fed and nourish-
ed by the bread of life that comes
down from heaven, and that when
w« part and go to our respective
callings and places of abode we may.
each carry with us '^ a live coal from.
the altar."
We meet here to-day to manifest^
that we are willing to sustain the
brethren appointed of God in their
several callings and offioes of th^
holy priesthood. It may seem
rather a dry and formal matter to.
some of the people to come together
and lift up their hands to sustain
the authorities of the Church, but
it is a necessary duty and, if we.
look at it properly, we shall take
pleasure therein. It may seem a>
little monotonous, but, • as I have
said, it is necessary, for it was da*
signed by the Almighty in the or<
ganization of this Church, that the
voice of the people should respond
to the voice of the Lord. It is the
voice of the Lord and the voice i>f
the people together in this Church*
that sanctions all things therein^
In the rise of the Chuvch .the Lord*
46
JOURNAL or DISOOCatSBB.
gave a revelation which said that
*^ all things shall be done by common
consent." And the Lord designs
that every individual member shall
take an interest therein, shall bear a
part of the responsibility, and shall
take upon him or her the spirit of
the Church, and be an active living
member of the body. It is designed
that this Church shall be alive in its
parts ; that every individual particle
shall be influenced by the spirit thereof
When the human body is in a heal-
thy condition, the spirit that dwells
therein animates every portion ; but
when the body gets into an unheal-
thy condition, there are parts of it
through which the spirit does, not
circulate. So with the Church that
the Lord has established upon the
earth. There are plenty of dead
forms in the world ; religious insti-
tutions that are not alive, but are
forms without the power. The Lord
is building up a society, a kingdom,
if you will, which he designs to ani-
mate by his power in every part ©f
it And this is necessary for the
good of the whole that every indivi-
dual member of the Church may be
inspired by the spirit that dwells in
the body, and that the inspiration
thereof may not only rest upon the
twelve apostles, upon the various
presidents of Stakes and the bishops
who take charge of the various wards,
and upon the teachers who minister
among the people, but that it may
go to every individual member of
the Church, that the whole body
may be filled with life, and all be in
unison with the highest powers.
Therefore, we are called together
from time to time to manifest our
willingness to sustain the men pre-
siding over us, through whom comes
the word of the Lord to us in an
organized capacity. It is our privi-
lege individually to receive the Word
•f the Lord direct. The twelve
apostles stand to communicate the
word of the Lord to the Church as a
whole. The word of the Lord to the
Church comes through its presidency
In the various stakes it comes
through the authorities appointed
there, and is given to the wards
through the bishops. But it is our
privilege also to receive the word of
the Lord direct to ourselves each in
our individual sphere and capacity,
for we hold a relationship to God as
individuals, as well as a community.
It is our privilege if we live aright,
each one for himself to receive direct
from the fountain of life, intelligence,
wisdom and knowledge for our
individual guidance, inspiration to
direct us in all things that we are
called upon to perform. The father
of a family has a right to receive the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost to
direct him in all things pertaining to
his house-hold, to give words of wis-
dom and counsel to his wives and
his children and all within the sphere
of his authority and influence. It is
the privilege of every mother to have
the spirit of the Lord to direct her
in the course she shall take with her
children. And it is the privilege
of every boy and girl, who has been
baptized into the Church, to receive
the Holy Ghost for their guidance,
so that the whole Church may be
quickened, bodily and spiritually,
with that life that comes from above j
so that God may be able to impress
us as individuals with desires and
intelligence for the accomplishment
of his purposes. And we should sa
live as to be in harmony with the
authorities of the Church ; hi har-^
mony with those who preside over
us, that we may be able to see as
they see, and act as they desire us t»
act when they give us the word of
the Lord. But we cannot do that
unless we possess this spirit. And
not only should we be m harmonj
THE WORri OF THK LORI), BtC.
60
with those men, but with the powers I
behind the vail ; and we should be
so tuned that our whole natures will
be in perfect accord with the influ-
ehces that come from on high, and
be sensitive to the impressions God
intends to make upon us.
We sustain our brethren of the
twelve, as prophets, seers, and re-
velators ; and I haVe heard it re-
marked by some brethren, that they
could not see any need of doing so,
and that holding up their hands
does not make those men prophets,
seers and revelators. That is true
enough as far as it goes. But by
sustaining these brethren in our
customary way, we manifest t« God
and the powers behind the vail, who
work with the brethren in the flesh,
that we are willing to receive any
revelation that the higher powers
may see fit to communicate through
them in that capacity. We have a
great deal of principle and doctrine
given to us through the means of
the Bible, ffae Book of Mormon,
the Doctrine and Covenants, etc.,
with which we ought to make our-
selves thoroughly familiar. At the
same time we have men presiding
over us in this Church through
whoni the word of the Lord will
€ome in our present circumstances
for our guidance and for the guid-
ance of the whole Church in its on-
ward march, as the exigencies of the
case may require. And when we
lift up our hands to heaven to sus-
tain them, we manifest that we hold
ourselves in readiness to receive the
word of the Lord whenever he sees
fit to impart it to us. They are the
legal channels ; they are the ap-
pointed receptacles to receive the
words of the Lord for us as an organ-
ized body; and by lifting up our
hands to heaven in this way, we
ahow to God and to an^ls, that we
are ready at any time, if the Lord
has a word of revelation to commu-
nicate to us, to receive it, no matter
how it may come ; whether by the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, or
otherwise ; by means of the Urim
and Thummim, if he sees fit to re-
store it to the Church, which he will
do as sure as we are gathered here
to-day, and a man will stand up like
unto Moses, who will communicate
the word of the Lord unto us, line
upon line and precept upon precept,
until God brings forth everything
needed for the building up of his
work; and the things kept hidden
from the foundation of the world
will be brought forth, and all the
ancient records that have been lost
will be brought to light, by men
through whom God shall operate' by
means of the Urim and Thummim
as well as by the inspiration of the
Holy Ghost. We manifest to him
by our uplifted hands that we will
receive his word by inspiration, by
the Urim and Thummim, or by reve-
lation, or the ministration of angels,
or in any way he may be pleased to
communicate. It is fitting then that
we should do this. We do not know
when the Lord may have some new
word for us. I am sorry to say we
do not all know what is placed ou
record, for we do not often read it.
Nevertheless the Lord may see fit to
impart to us something not placed
on record, and we should be ready
and willing to receive every word of
counsel, or instruction, or command,
or rebuke that he may see fit to im-
part. It is necessary also that we
should show to our brethren who are
called to these various offices that
we are willing to sustain them. For
they have not called themselves,
neither do they run for office ; we
are not office-seekers in this Church.
It is very generally the case that a
man who seeks an office is not a fit
and proper person to occupy it. But
48
JOURNAL OF DISG0URSS8.
we are willing to receive any ap- 1
pointmeiit or calling the Lord may I
see fit to place us in ; we are on
hand, we are ready ; but we are not
office-seekers. As I have said the
men whom we voted to sustain this
morning, the presidency of the stake,
bishops, home missionaries, etc., did
not call themselves, but have been
called to act in those positions ; and
they are not paid for it either, that
is in worldly wealih. Of course
they are blessed and paid, as every
man is paid when doing good, in the
blessings pertaining to his calling.
For every man called to occupy any
position can, if he seeks aright, ob-
tain the spirit of that calling, and
in that tliere is peace and joy and
satisfaction, so that he is paid in his
labors in any office which he may be
called to fill. But our brethren do
not thrust themselves forward to
seek for position. Somebody else
calls them, and we, to-day, manifest
our willingness to sustain them in
those callings, and to give them the
benefit of our faith and prayers, and
to assure them that so far as we are
placed under their counsel we will
accept it and act upon it. So this is
a good work we do. It does not
take a great deal of time or labor ;
and it is a fitting duty for Latter-day
Saints to perform, and I feel that we
are privileged in so doing.
As the children of God, we need
to rally around our brethren who
are acting in the various offices in
this Chur'ch, and be one with them ;
and not only manifest this by lifting
up our hands, but by really sustain-
ing them in the positions they are
called to fill, so far as lies within our
power, each one taking an interest
ih these things, each o^e feeling
that he has a part in this matter.
For this work does not rest altogether
upon those required to act in official
positions, but upon every individual
called by the name of Latter-day
Saint. Some people think that the
sphere of labor they are called to
occupy, is not a great one^
that if they were called to
occupy some office in the Church
they could accomplish more good
and have something more to Uve for.
But I think we shall discover that if
we are all anxious to fill our sphere
of action, we can find ample oppo-
tunity fur the exercise of those
powers with which Uod has endowed
us ; every man and woman can find^
a sphere of usefulness if they are
desirous ; each one can find his or .
her own place, and we will all come
to it by and by. I believe it to be
one of the powers and authorities
of this priesthood that God has re-
vealed from heaven, to find out the
place for which every individual ia
the church is adapted, and to get.
them into place.
"A place for eveiytlun^, and
Everything in its place."
And the time will come when the
Lord shall have est^lished his
Church perfectly upon the earth,
and all things move in their proper
course, that God will find a place
adapted to every person, in which,
each will have more joy than in any
other place and be able to do
more good to the communify thai^
in any other. And we can find
this measurably to-day if we are de-
sirous to do so. For there is an
ample sphere of labor for every
man, and also for every woman,
in this Church. Every man in this^
house, this morning, whether bishop^
teacher, or missionary to preach the
Gospel^ can find somethmg to do
for the exercise of the powers with
which he is endowed, magnifying^
his office or calling in the priesthooa -
— for we nearly all have some por-:
tionofthe priesthood. If we seek
for the spirit of that calling, we shaU.
THK WORD OF THE LOKD^ STO.
.i»
£nd plenty of opportanity for the
exercise of its d uties. But the great
difficulty is, mauy of us are content
simply to be ordaiaed to the priest-
hood. " I atn a high priest, or sev-
enty, or an elder, as the case may be,
and am satisfied with my calling ;
and do not seek for anything
further.'' Now, my,.brethren, there
are privileges and powers pertaining
to these callings — ^and we can read
about them here in this book (Doc-
trine and Covenants), and what the
various duties are of these different
callings in the priesthood. The
powers of the Aaronic priesthood
reach out a great way, for we are
told that that priesthood holds the
keys of the ministration of angels. I
wonder how many there are who
obtain such a blessing as this 1 J
do not know whether we are fit for
communion with the higher powers, ,
,the beings sent forth to '^ minister
unto the heirs of salvation.'* But
we read that the Melcbisedec priest-
hood contains greater powers than
that. It not only holds the keys of
the ministration of angels, but of
communion with the heavenly Jeru-
aal^ni, the general assembly and
churcK of the fir^t-bom with Jesus
Christ the HecUa^or of the u».yr
covenant and God the highest and
holiest ot all. And the time will
come when under this priesthood to
those who ho}d this authoriliy and
calling, and have the spirit of it acui
minister in that s^pirit and obtain
the pojwer thereof, the Lord will
unveU his face and they shall gaze
upon his glory. That time will come,
for there is no word of the Lord
.revealed but what will come tor passj
tt may np.t cotme in the time and
^ea^n we' expect it, or when we are
tookW fjor it; but we may be
j^urea th^t ;er€^,thiug that Qod
ibas promiaf^d by ^ the power of t^e
Koly Gb(3^t>thcctli^h hisfervants.will
No. 4. ' '
come to pass in his due time. Th^
time will come when the servants
of the living God will purify them-
selves before him until they will be
fit to receive these blessings. When
that holy temple is built in Zion
God will take away the veil from the
eyes of his servants ; and the day is
yet to dawn when the sons of Moses
and Aaron, having become sanctified
to the renewing of their bodies, will
administer in that holy house, and
the veil will be taken away, and
they will gaze upon the glories of
that world now unseen, and upon
the faces of beings now to them
invisible ; but it will be when they
have purified themselves from the
evils of this world, and are reaUy
the servants of the living God, and
temples of the Holy Ghost.
We can get a measure of the spirit
of this calling to- day, and by the
power thereof we can have commu-
nion with our Father. Not only
through the living oracles in a
Church capacity, but as individual
members of the Church we can
come near unto the Lord, so that
there will be no barrier . between us
and.himj.and.so that his Spirit ca^
cqme upoi^ u? ^pdy, and the Ugl^t
of piod,^;^ illumnate ouf souls ap|l
so direct us. that tv^e may l^ave'ih^e
life and ,^trpDgtljL of this etefn^
priesthooi . For this priesthood is a
iq£^ity ^nd not a mere name ; it is
not a mere calling ini word, but an
o^ce which confers ^ppn us power
and mflii^n^ that comes from the
Aimighty. I^kjoow that mei^ hold-
ing th|E| pfij^^ihood, and who m^gnifir
it and v^m^ the.epirit ,.^n4 pow^r
ofiys^rj^di^erent from ^ther mi^
their influenjQ^ , anji anotives> a^e
different tljj^jr iifelii?^ aj;e diffi^e^t
and the. spmt.^Bi^ igftuence rtjj^y
carry with them are ^inetent. Such
xf^pn cango ^h ^x theimida^if $•
wicj^d, w^fiapp^^ m t|je ^ww«pd
'«b
JOURNAI^ OK DISCOURSES.
influence of their priesthood, like
the garments they wear, and be
separate from the world, and they
pan carry an influence in the world
which other men cannot carry.
There is force in it, there is power
and salvation in it ; and every man
called to hold this priesthood -should
be a minister of salvation in the
midst of the earth. If he is not
called to minister abroad in the
world, he can be a minister of peace
and righteousness at home ; he can
strengthen the weak hands and con-
firm the feeble knees, and drive
away doubt from the sceptical mind ;
bear testimony to the truth which
he has received and understands,
and wherever he goes he can carry
the Spirit and blessing of God that
will build the people together, and
thus help to build up the king-
dom of God. And he will not spread
contention or encourage any spirit
which would prompt men to speak
evil of each other ; he will not en-
courage anything that savors of con-
tention and strife and disunion, but,
on the contrary, will encourage all
that tends to unite the people toge-
ther. And any man holding the
priesthood has power to do that
much in the sphere which he is
called to occupy. And also of speak-
ing a word in due season, and of
standing in his calling and of being
a representative of l£e Most High
; Ood.
And the sisters, too, have also a
' good, wide sphere. I was pleased to
see that the presidency of the Relief
Society was presented and sustained
at this Conference. The sisters are
'one with the brethren in their labors,
and have duties peculiar to them-
' Belves, in carrying on the work which
Qod has given them to do. It has
been well said, that " Man is not
' ^thout the woman, nor the woman I
without the man, in the Lord." /
And we shall find that through all
eternity the sexes go together, and
that the female portion of God's
children have a part and a lot in this
matter as well as the mala These
Relief Societies give opportunity for
our sisters to do much good, and
even those who do not belong to
the society have frequent opportu-
nities for doing good. Every
mother has a field of usefulness at
home among her own children ; this
is her peculiar sphere. Do not let
me be understood to mean that
woman should be a fixture in the
house, to be tied up to a table leg,
or to a wash-tub. I think many of
our sisters stay at home too much.
If they would make it their business
to take more out-door exercise they
would find it a relief to the monoto-
ny of household work. I do not be-
lieve that women should be tied up
at home ; but I say that home is
woman's peculiar sphere. She reigns
there as queen ; she can make that
home comfortable, peaceful and
pleasant for the husband, so that he
would rather come there than any
other place on earth ; and that wo-
man is foolish, I think, who does
not do this. Women should make
their homes as comfortable as they
can, with the means at their com-
mand, that the husband, the children
and all that belong to the family
may be glad to come home to enjoy
the society of the family circle.
Right there is where a woman can
exercise the great power God has
given unto her. What a blessing it
& when the Lord gives to a woman
children, boys and girls bom heirs
to the covenant, heirs to the holy
priesthood, that they may grow up
with natural rights to the blessings
of the priesthood ; to become ser-
vants of the Most High ; to become
vessels for the Holy Spirit to dwett
in ; to become representatives of the
THB WORD OF THE LORD, ETC.
51
Lord upon the earth; to become
ministers of salvation for the living
and the dead ! What a sphere for
the labors of these sisters, to train
up the minds of their children in the
fear of the Lord ; to teach the boys
good principles ; to teach them as
well as the girls to be virtuous, pure,
^chaste, and holy, for those that are
unholy cannot receive the fullness of
'the blessing and power of God, that
is, like those who keep themselves
pure before him. And the brethren
•can plant these ideas in the minds of
•their boys, and if not fully at first,
by and by they will be enabled to
<comprehend their full meaning.
Fathers should take all the time
they can in instructing their children
but the mothers are with them so
much more and have so much greater
influence over them in a certain
direction, and therefore they should
seek to exercise their powers by
training up their children in the
way they should go. And we are
not required to train them up by
word and precept alone, but by ex-
ample. If we do not want our
children to use strong drink, it will
aot do for us to use it. Try there-
fore to set our children exapples
which we would feel perfectly will-
ing that they should imitate. Our
sisters can work in this way both by
precept and example, and above all
things by the spirit they carry ; they
can impress the minds of the young
and rising generation so that they
in&y grow up with a natural tenden-
cy to that which is holy. Let girls
be brought up by a mother who is
full of kindness and love and charity
— ^which are much more beautiful
adornments than the glittering show
of jewelry; earthly jewels are
nothing in comparison to those
precious jewels of eternity, and all
the finery that woman could put on
ia nothing to the adornment of the
mind which peculiarly shines out in
the mothers and daughters of Israel
— let a mother be embued with this
good, kind, teachable spirit and she
can surround her children with it,
she can have that spirit in the home
where she resides. And although
she may have a great many cares
and tribulations and trials which
may tempt her to anger, yet, sho
can conquer all the passions that will
rise up in her nature and subdua
them, and can train up her children
in the midst of these adverse circum-
stances, in the fear of God, and her
tribulations will be turned to her
good, and it will be easy for her
children to walk in the way of God,
and they will grow up with a natu-
ral repugnance for the things which
are evil, and a natural desire to re-
ceive in their hearts ever> thing that
is good. The Jjord is saying to the
north, •"Give up ; and to the south,
keep not back : bring my sons froQi
far, and my daughters from the ends
of the earth.'' He has brought us
to this place from the nations of the
earth that we may become a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, a peculiar people zeal-
ous of good works. This is why He
has given unto us laws with regard
to the marriage relations, that Israel
shaU not marry Gentiles ; that Israel
shall wed Israel ; that the daughters
of God shall marry the sons of God,
etc., in order that our children may
be heirs to the blessings pertaining
to the everlasting covenant, that by
and by there may be a race of men
and women upon the earth tvho will
be holy unto the Lord, bom with
natural desires in them to do right,
which they have inherited from
their parents, who shall train them
up in the way they should go, with
that holy atmosphere surrounding
them, that they may be thoroughly
under the influence of the spirit that
52
JOtTRXAL OF DlSCOtJI&ig.
/bo'nies from on high, that their
' whole natures inay bie sensitive to the
whisperings of Almighty God, that
"they may grow up, his sons and
daughters, and that it may be a mark
Hf honor that such and such men
were " born in Zion." The Lord
will give honor unto such people.
And their sons will go to nations
■ afar off and the earth will tremble
under their voice, and evil spirits
that are deceiving the sons of men
' will flee before them, for the power
of the priesthood will be with them.
And they will search out the. seed of
Israel wherever they preach to them
the Gospel in their own tongue by
the power of the Almighty — ^for this
the gift of tongues was designed —
and they will gather in the seed of
Israel to the Zion of our God, And
he will be their strength ; he will go
before them and be round about
'them. And our daughters will grow
i^p pure and virtuous, and the angels
<if God will be round about them.
And the Lord will multiply his peo-
ple upon the earth until all things
are fulfilled^ his kingdom will be
built up, the Lord Jesus Christ will
come, and all that has been spoken
Ijy the prophets will be brou^t lio
,ijass.
Now, these things are right before
' us, God expects us to be a difler-
cnt kind of people from those in the
world. He does not expect us to
'fee of the world, worldly. We have
come here to be separate from the
world, that we may purge ourselves
from the spirit of Babylon. We
must have different motives from
the world, we must not have the
' 9ame desires as the Gentiles, for
their hearts are set upon the things
of this life. TCjljdy. worship the
wealth of the wond. I hope to see
the time when every Latter-day
Saint will have plenty, and the time
will come when God will give unto
his people all the wealth they destiB-,.
but that will be when they knirw
how to use it aright, and when th^
hearts are right and set upon the-
law of the Lord and upon the
counsel of his will^ and when they
will be willing to nse it for his gIoi?y
and the blessing of their race. We
must remember we are Latter-day
Saints, having come here to serve
the Lord, to learn his ways and walk
in his paths, and to unite ourselves,
together, that we may be a solid,
compact body, a living body filled
with the spirit of life and light thit
comes from God, ready at any
moment, as individuals or as an.
organized church community to-
move forward in any direction
required, that the word of God may*
be proclaimed, that Israel may be
gathered and the Kingdom of God
built up, and the power taken out
of the hands of the wicked and vested
in the hands of the servants of Qdd^
who will rule in righteousness lit
the midst of the earth.
I bear my testimony to this c6n~
gregation, liiiany of whom ai^
strangers to me, and some of whtim
I have mat, conversed with and
labored with in foreign lands ; I can
say to you J&ll tliat I know this wo A
is true. I know by the revelaiioh
of the Holy Spirit that the Lord hfis
commenced the great work of the
latter days spoken of by tlie
prophets. I know it will renaaSh,
and will prevail; though all the
world rise up against it — as they will
do some day, not only this natibily.
but others — and will say, "Let her be
defiled." But they know not ttie
Lord, neither do they understand
the counsels of his will. For he wfll
say unto Zion, " Aiise and thresh, O
daughter of Zion : for I will ma(e
thine horn iron, and 1 will m^e
thine hoofs brass : and thou shsQt
beat in pieces many people : and' I
CO-OPERATIO§I ANfl THK XINITpp ORDER, BTC.
53,
ill consecrate their ^in \into the
li^y and their subdtaiioe unto the
* .. of Ihe whole eai^tlj;" T^iou^'
iiatiohis ofipbsk' this. Wprk . will
, -onward to cotnmetion ; fdr the
jwrer of God will be in our midst
d we shall be able to accomplish
h greater ease and facility everjr-
ing we are directed to do. This
pgdbm will preyail, apd thi^ work
n^Il roll on and accomplish every-
thing predicted. And the time will
come when the pure and good of
©Very clime will gather up to Zion ;
and the Temple will be built in the
«ehtre city of Zion, the New Jeni-
sijem, and the glory of God will
rest upon it, and the purposes of God .
will be developed and hfs kfp^dom-^
roll on, wliiie thd kingdtJms df tMi"
w^orid, irith' all' <heit ^ ^tiip" totf^
felrfendbi^, will fee trough^ teVj «4Wf
God through his priesthood; wfll^
rule from thfe riVers to the' ends oiK
the e&rth. And Christ our Eedeettiiir '
will come and bring hts reWahi
with him.
May God help us to be faithMin
this work, so that when h^ sh'itt'
come, we may 21^ individuals and a*
church be puMed and prepared to
enter into -jflKe joy of our L^ord to
receive the fullness of the blfessingit^
of the Gospel of peace. Amen.
DISCOUESE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
DSX«IV£BEP AT THE REGULAR PRIESTHOOD MEETING OF THE WeBER StAKB
OF Zion, Held at Ogden, on the 21st September, 1878.
(Reported hy Geo, P. Oibhs.)
co-operatiqn and the united order — the saints should be
governed by the law and will of god — the approaching
calamitiks upon the world — should be willing to forsake
earthly INTERESTS FOR THE GOSPEL*S SAKE.
I have been desirous to meet with
the priesthood of this Stake, and I
have invited :a^umber of the presi-
d^ts of Stakes within this district
of country to be pi:esent at this
m^f^ting, for the consideration of
^^rtain questions that have been
i^resi^ng themselves upon my mind
or some time, that 1 want to lay
before the people here.
We have met here in a capacity of
the holy priesthood, and all of us
profess to be elders in Israel, and to
be disposed at least to walk accord-
ing to the order of God, and to seek
to establish the principles of
righteousness as far as lies in ou^
power, and to try to build up his
kingdom on the earth. That, at
least, is oui jprofession, and I h>elieve
54
JOURNAL OF DISGOUBSES.
is the sentiment of the hearts of
most of the brethren now assembled.
At the same time we have different
ideas about many things, particularly
things of a temporal nature, so ealled,
We go in a good deal for what is
called ''free trade and sailor's rights"
— ^we want to enjoy a large amount
of liberty. All these things are very
popular and very correct. But in
cfor acts and doings it is necessary
that we be governed by certain laws
and principles which have beengiven
unto us by the ^ Lord. We all con-
cede to this. But there are some
things we seem to be very much con-
fused about, in regard to our tem-
poral matters. During the lifetime
of President Young — several years
ago, it seemed as though he was
wrought upon to introduce co-opera-
tion and the United Order, to quite
an extent. He told us at the time
that it was the word and the will of
God to us. I believed it then ; and
I believe it now. And yet, at the
same time, every kind of idea, feel-
ing and spirit has been manifested.
In many places co-operation and the
TJnited Order have been started
under various forms ; in some they
have succeeded very well, and in
other places people have acted fool-
ishly and covetously, seeking their
own personal, individual interests
under the pretense of serving God
and carrying out his designs. Others
have been visionary and have under-
taken things which were impracti-
cable, while others have not acted
in good faith at all. There has been
•very kind of feeling among us as a
people, that is possible to exist
anywhere. And I have thought
sometimes in regard to our co-opera-
tive institutions, that some of those
who are engaged in them and sustain-
ed by them are as much opposed to
co-operation and United Order as
any other class of people we have.
At least, I have noticed feelings or
that kind. I do not say they ^ure
general. But there are certain reflect .
tions in relation to these matters that
have been pressing upon my mind
for some time. And let me here-
ask myself a question — a question
not of a personal nature ; I have not
come here to talk about any personal
matters at all, but upon principle
and upon some of those principles
that we as Latter-day Saints, and as
elders in Israel, profess to believe in.
The question would be and my text
would be to-day, if I wanted to take
a text : Shall we sustain co-operation
and the United Order, and work
with that end in view in all of our
operations, or shall we give it up as-
a bad thing unworthy of our atten-
tion? That is where the thing
comes to, in my mind. At any rate>
we wish to act honestly and honor-
ably in this matter. If we believe
that these principles are true, let us.
be governed by them ; if we do not,
let us abandon them at once, con
elude that we have made a mistake
and have no more to do with thenL
For we, all of us, profess to be at
least honest men, and to act con-
scientiously. If there is anything
wrong in these things, let us know
the wrong ; and if it is not a com-
mand of God, and not binding upon
us, let us quit it. And then tho
question naturally arises. Are we
prepared to do this 9 And, on tho
other hand, if we believe that these
are principles that are inculcated by
the Lord, then let us be governed by
them. In fact, whichever way we
decide let us carry out our decisions
in good faith, and not have our sign
painted on one side in white aud' on
the other black or some oiher color.
But let us feel as the prophet Elijah
did on a certain occasion, '* If thp
Lord be God, follow him ; but if
Baal, then follow him." There waft
GO-OPERATION AND THS UNITED ORDER, BIO.
(»5
a disposition in ancient Israel to
have a part of God and a part of
the devil or Baal — an idola-
trous god which was wor-
shipped by them. I sometimes
think that in some respects we are a
good deal like tliem. Do we believe
oar religion 1 Yes. Do we believe in
the holy priesthood and that God has
restored it to the earth] Yes. Do we
believe that God lias established his
kingdom] Yes. And do we believe
that the holy priesthood is under
the guidance of the Lord ] O^ yes ;
but still we would like a good deal
of our own way. If we must intro-
duce something that the Lord has
commanded, we would like to put it
off just as far as we can, and if we
cannot do it any other way we will
fight against it, according to circum-
stances, and how things move and
operate. We often wish the Lord
would not exact certain things of us;
Wb would rather have our own way.
But let us look at things calmly and
dispassionately. As I understand it,
the Lord has gathered us together to
do his will, to observe his laws and
keep bis commandments. And we
have certain obligations devolving
upon us in the holy priesthood
which God requires at our hands.
He requires, for instance, ot the
Twelve to go, when called upon, to
the nations of the earth and preach
tfie Gospel to those nations. If they
were nat to do it, would they be
justified ] No, they would not ; God
would require the blood of the
people at their hands. That is the
way I figure up these things. I do
not know of any half-way house. As
one ot tlie Twelve, I do not want to
dodge any of these questions, but
meet them fairly and squarely. And
I think I have done it; ^nd I think
the Twelve generally have. They
have always been on hand to go
anywhere when the Lord has re-
quired them to go, whether in sick-
ness or health, in poverty or abound-,
ing in means ; no matter what their
circumstances, or what individual-,
ism would have to be sacrificed, thehr
object has ever been to do the wiU
of God. And so it has been with a
great many of the seventies, high
priests and also with a great many
of the elders. Their feeUngs have
been : Let the Lord speak, and here
am I, ready to do his will and carry
out his designs. And this feeling
exists to-day in the hearts of a great
many ; but there are also a great
many who do not feel so, who want
to dodge these questions. Here is
Brother Eldredge, who is one of the
presidents of the seventies ; he knows
how extremely difficult it is to get
men, as we used in former years —
"at the drop of the hat/' as it was.
termed, to go on missions. How-
ever, I do not wish to dwell upon
that ; I merely refer to it in passing
along.
We are here, as I understand it,
as Jesus was, *' Not to do our own
will, but the will of our Father who
sent us." If God had not felt after
you, and his spirit operated upon you,,
you would not be here in these
mountains to-day. What does Jesus
say about these things in speaking
of them ] "I pray for them : 1
pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me ; for they
are thine.*' You have been in the
same situation ; you have seen the
elect of God gathered together
through the medium of the holy
priesthood, by the opening of the
heavens and the revelation of the
will of (lod to man and the restora-
tion of the holy Gospel. You have
been gathered together in this way,
and we all have. What to do ] Is
it, as they used to say in the Church
of England, to follow the devices
and desires of our own hearts ] Is
56
JOURJtfAL OF DIS(C0URSB8.
it to follow out sotne i>etty scheme
of our own ? I do not hO understand
it ; I understand that it is to buHd
ujp the Church and Mngdom of Godj
t^poh the earth, and to prepare the
earth and the people of the earth for
the things that are coming on the
^arth, afid to prepare ourselves, as a
people, to receive further intelligence,
wisdom and knowledge from God,
that he may have a people in whom
he can place confidence, and whom
he can bless, and through them con-
fer blessings on mankind. He
expects us to build up his kingdom,
and that is the first consideration
with us. And this is what he told
his disciples in former days " Seek
ye first the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things"
^-refeiring to our temporal con-
cerns, M'hich comparatively are like
80 many chips and whetstones —
^* shall be added unto you.'* But
ifaese things, too, enter into our
daily life and our intercourse one
with another, and into the purposes
of God associated with the gathering
6f his people together, that they
inay be one, that through them he
can communicate his will to the
human family, that there may be a
nucleus formed around which the
honest in heart from all the world
may rally ; and be in possession of the
Word and will of the Lord, and the
light, intelligence and revelations of
God. our Father ; that the secret of
the Lord might be with those who
fear him, and that they might fear
tim and understaiid the things
Vhich are approaching, and prepare
'the earth for those things that are
coming. We appear here, as it
N^ere, in a normal schoal, to prepare
■ourselves to carry out the purposes
of God upon the earth. Can you
*lind a people anywhere on the earth
""ijhat will listen to the word of God?.
'!No, you cannot; neither can you find [
atiybody to whom God could commu-
nicate his win. We talk a good
deal, and often preach a ^od deal,
about the judgments which are to
come upon the earth : wars, pesti-
lence, famine, and distress of nations,
and testify that calamity will follow
so continuously that by and by it
will be a vexation to hear the report
thereof We have talked about
these things for years. I have my-
self for upwards of forty years; and
as I have said before, so I repeat,
that these things which await the
world, are forty years nearer than'
they were forty years ago. God did*
not mock us when he told us of these
things; but uH- that he has said
concerning them through ancient
prophets and through Joseph Smith
are true, and as sure as Gk>d livea
they will take place. I will prophecy
that they will take place as sure as
God lives, and they are approaching
very rapidly upon us. We are told
that the day will come when he that
will not take up his sword against
his neighbor must needs flee to Zion
for safety. And is that true? Yes,
it is. If that should take place to-
day, are we prepared for iti I think
not. If we should go on for years
as we are now going on shall we be
prepared for it ? We are not^ to-day,
all of us, preparing for these things.
We can hardly manage a few miser-
able apostates and a ffew Gentiles,
and we feel very creepy sometimes
about anything that traiispires, not.
knowing how or what may be the
result ; instead of bemg clothed upon
with the spirit of God and being
filled with the Holy Ghost, the light
of revelation and the power of God.
But we do not have this kind- of
feeling, and we are divided up in our
interest, om man pulling against
another, so much so, that we have
to-day all kinds of Gentilism among
us. Even our newspapers give
I
\
CO-OPERATIOM: MSO) THK XmiTBIV OJRDER, ETC.
»r^
eireulation to 'eertam diafieet ofi
advertis^nentB viifidi^rei'aliviiigtie,
and it is a shaMe aod diagraoe tfoat/
nuch thuigs should'be seeti^ in 2ittiv.
S^me call it (je&tik}' tiiehipry, the
tricks of trade etct, bot I call it
chicanery and falsehood, and it is so
in regard to many other things.
B&Bs this comport with the position
we occupy as men holding the holy
priesthood) I do not think it does.
I think we ought to occupy a more
elevated and honorable position ; I
think we » ought to be governed by
other influences, and be actuated by
other motives. I think that our lives,
our desires, our feelings and our acts
ought to be to try to build up Zion
and establish the kingdom of God
upon the earth ; that we should be
united in our temporal as well as in
our spiritual affairs, for God says :
"If you are not one you are not mine."
Do you believe it ? You elders of
Israel, do you believe that saying?
And if we are not the Lord's then
whose are we 1 We have our own
plans, our own notions and our own
theories ; and as one of old esLpressed
it, we are seeking for gain, every one
ftom his own quarter. And we are
governed to a very great extent by
selfishness, and too mUch by our own
personal feelings, and allow these
things to influence us instead of
being governed by those high, noble,
dignified and glorious principles that
dwell in the bo^om of God, which
emanated from him, and which dwell
also in the boeoms of those who in
•sincerity fear God and keep his com-
mandments.
Now, I know what many of you
will say, in speaking of co-operation :
'* there has been a great many
abuses." Yes, I admit it — ^numbers
of them. ** What and under the
name of the United Order alsof
Yes, any quantity of them. Joseph
Smith in his day said it was ex-
tremely difficult to introduce theso
things beoauseof the greed, covetoQi"
ness, selfishness and wickedness* of
the paopla I wish here to refer
to one or tws* things connected with
this subject. I spoke about the
Twelve, the seventies, the elders
and the high priests ; and stated that
a great many of them had been out
preaching the Gospel, and that some
of them felt as though it is hard
work. It is, no doubt, very up-hill
business for a man to be a Saint if he
is not one ; and if he has not the
principles of the Gospel in his heart,
it must b^ very hard work, I may
say an eternal struggle, for him to
preach. But if a man has got the
pure principles of the Gospel in his
heart, it is quite easy for him
to expound the truth. Well,
now, I will take the words of Jesus:
^' Except a man can forsake father
or mother, wife and children, houses
and lands, lor my sake, he cannot be
my disciple.'' And let me say to you,
my brethren, that that Qospel is just
as true to-day as it was then, that
except a man is prepared to forsake
his earthly interests for the sake
of the Gospel of the Son of God, he
is unworthy of it, and cannot be a
true Saint. Now, this is where the
hardship comes in and it also
accounts for this eternal rubbing and
bumping. "How much can't I do,
and how little can I do to retain
fellowship with the Church ; and
how much can I act selfishly and
yet be counted a disciple of Christl"
Did you never feel as Paul describes
it — the spirit striving against the
flesh 1 I guess you have, and you
doubtless know all about it ; for
these are plain matters of fact.
This is the position the Gospel has
placed us in ; and it is a very difficult
thing to serve two masters, in fact
it is useless for any man to attempt
to do it, " for (as the Savior swjns)
58
JOURNAL OF DI8G0UBSBS.
either he will hate the one, and love
the other : or else he will hold to
the one and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon."
And therefore Jesus said : '^ Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly of heart,
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light.
But to return to the principles of
eo-operation and United Order.
Supposing a man had come to you
elders, when you were out on mis-
sions, requesting baptism at your
hands, without having repented of
his sins, would you have baptized
himi No, you would not. But
supposing he claimed to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ, but not in
baptism ; would you receive him into
the Church? No, you dare not do
such things. But supposing a^in
that he believed in baptism and in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and had
repentedof his sins, but did nob be-
lieve in the laying on of hands for
the reception of tlie Holy Ghost ;
would you baptize him 1 No. And
further supposing he had complied
with all these requirements, and he
had the opportunity to gather to
Zion but did not improve the oppor-
tunity, would you consider him a
very good Saint? No. Now, be-
side all these, the Lord has given
us a law pertaining to tithing ; and
if he did not comply with that would
you consider him a good Saint? No,
And we are told to build temples,
and the man who would refuse to do
this work, you would consider a very
Sor specimen of a Lattea*-(lay Saint
jferring to the Umted Order, the
Lord has given us. to understand
that irkosbever refuses to comply
with the requirements of that law,
his name shall not be known in the
records of the Church, but shall be
blotted out; neither shall his cliildren
haveaninheritaneekiZion. Are these
the words of the Lord to us ? I sup-
pose there are none b^re to day hut
would say, Yes. How, then
can I or you treat lightly that which
God has given us ? It is the word of
Grod to me ; it is the word of God to
you. And if we do not fulfil this
requirement what is the result ? We
are told what the result will ba
These things have not taken place
now ; but we have been wandering
about from place to place, and the
Lord has blessed us in a remarkable
degree. And we are gathered toge-
ther, as I have said, for the purpose
of building up Zion, and we are sup-
posed to be the servants of God
havingengagedto perform this work ;.
and individually, I would say, I do
not want to profess to be a Saint, if
I am not one, nor if the work we are
engaged in is not of the Lord ; if the
principles we believe in are false, I
do not want anything to do with
them ; on the other hand, if they
are true then I want to be governed
by them, and so do you. We must
carry out the word and will of God,
for we cannot afford to ignore it npr
any part of it. If faith,, repentance
and baptism and laying on of hands
is right and true and demands our
obedience, so does co-operation and
the United Order. Some may say,
here is such and such a man has be^n
connected with the United Order,
and how. foolishly he has acted, and
others have gone into co-operation
and made a failure of it. Yes, that
may be all very true, but who is to
blame? Shall we stop baptizing
people and make no further efforts
to establish the kingdom of God
up')n the earth, because certain ones
have acted foolishly and perhaps
wickedly ? Do the actions of such
people render the principles of the
Gospel without effect or the do^
trines we teach untrue ? I thinly
CO-OPERATION AND THl! UNITED ORDER, ETC.
5^:^
y'#u would not say so. What do we
do with such isases t We purge them
dut, we cut them off according to
the laws Grod has laid down ; but we
do not stop the operations ot the
Gospel, such a thought never enters
our minds, for we know the work
already commenced is onward and
upward. Shall we then think of
putting an end to these other princi-
ples because men have acted foolishly
and selfishly and done wrong 1 No,
I think not ; I do not think we can
choose one principle and reject ano-
ther to suit ourselves. I think that
all of these things, as we have
received them, one after another are
equally binding upon us, Jesus said,
" Man shall not live by bread alone
but by every word that proceedeth
out from the mouth of God." This
is as true to-day as it was when
spoken.
I have seen a disposition among
many of the brethren to pull off in
every kind of way, and this spirit
and tendency is spreading and grow-
ing in every part of our Territory.
We have co-operative stores started,
and we have the eye of God painted
over the doors, with the words
" Holiness to the Lord" written over-
head. Do we act according to thati
In a great many instances I am
afraid not. But what of thati
Shall we depart from these princi-
ples 1 I think not. What was the
principle of co-operation intended
lor? Simply as a stepping stone
for the United Order, that is all,
that we might be united and operate
together in the interest of building
up Zion. Well, having started, what
do we see ? One pulling one way
another pulling another way ; every
one taking his own course. One
man says : Such a one takes his own
course, and I will take mine. Using
the same line of argument, because
One man commits a wrong unworthy
the calling of a Latter-day Saint, hia>
doing so is to be an excuse for my
doing the same thing. As I under-'
stand it, I am oalled to fear God, i
whether anybody else does it or not;
and this is your calling just as much
as it is mine. We may indeed shirk
it and violate the covenants we have
made. The Lord has blessed ua
with endowments and covenants of
which the world know nothing,
neither can they know anything
about it And he has given unto U8>
these things that we might be>
brought into closer union with God,>
that we might know how to save our-
selves, our wives and children, as
well as our fathers and progenitors^
who have gone before us. Having*
done this, what nextl God has
revealed certain things to the children
of men now as he formerly revealed
the Gospel to the children of Israel.
But could they stand it 1 No, they
could not. Moses succeeded in lead-
ing seventy of the elders of Israel to
the presence of God ; he would have
lead all Israel into his presence, but
they would not be led ; they turned
to idolatry, to evil and corruption,
and hence they became disobedient
and unmanageable. And when the
Lord spake to them they became
terrified and said, '^Let not God
speak unto us lest we die.'* God
wants to brin^ us near to him, for
this purpose he has introduced the
Gospel with all its ordinances. Has
he been true to us? Yes. And
when you elders have been out
preaching and baptizing people for
the remission of their sins, and when
confirming them members ef this
Church, you have said. Receive ye
the Holy Ghost, have they received
it 1 They have, Gt>d bearing witness
of the truth of your words and of his
ministry conferred upon you.
Now then, he 6alls upon us to be
one. What fori Because we are
€0
JOUHNA.1^ OF Df.^0mi^l(8.
aasociated -with his kingdoiQ. Witb
wh&t 1 With his kingdom. Whiki;
irhis kinfflfom) It it hisgovert)*
ipiBBt^ nHe, aathori/^t doninio^^
Ewer. etc. God has introduced 4is
[igdom after his order, and it is for.
him to guide that.kingdom auod direct
It, and manage it, and maoipnlate it
in the interest of the honest in hearty
and of all nations. He has com-
menced it among us that he might
have a little nucleus where he could
communicate and reveal his will,
composed of such as would carry
that will out, and do his bidding
3xA obey his behests. That is what
we are here for, and not to do our
-cwn will, any more than Jesus came
1^ do his will, but the will of his
Pather. What do we know about
building up the kingdom of God?
What do we know about the calami-
ties that are to come 1 1 can tell
you that while we have peace to-day
and everything runs smoothly and
quietly on, the day is not far distant
before the Lord will arise to shake
terribly the earth, and it will be felt
in this nation more keenly and more
severely than any of you have seen
it by a great deal, and I know it, and
I bear testimony to it We have no
time to experiment in following our
own notions and ideas ; we have
:k»mething else to do, we have got
to build up the kingdom of God ;
and in order to do this we must of
necessity unite ourselves together,
And seek to know the mind of God
to carry it out. And all that we do
should be done with this object in
view. We have all kinds of indi-
vidual interests and enterprises
among us ; some men are operating
4^uite considerably one way and
another, and some are not.
Brother Jennings, for instance, who
is present with us to-day, besides
cwningstookto the extent of $90,000
in Z. C. M. I., i8> with others,
engaged with oth^r, pjarsuit» of a
maiittfaptiuaiig/ naturor which w^^
very UudaUe^ Suflfc . e^t^q^rij^^^,
t«ad;t» give .em^loyinent tortile, p^o^
pie; and thifl is what we want, aivd
what we must have sooner or lajter.
There is ope Uuog, however, I wouJLd
here say about forming unions apd
partnerdiiips in any line of manu-
facture : Let them be formed with
the understanding that when the
proper time shall arrive they can
merge into co-operation, or the
United Order. It is very important
that in all of our undertakings we
should have at heart this feeling and
work to this end, and then we
may reasonably expect that it can
be but. a question of time to bring
out a grand consolidation of all indi-
vidual interests. I have been
impressed in my feelings upon these
subjects for some time, therefore I
speak about them as I do. How
many years is it since this- was started,
and how little we h^ve done I I
tell you if we go a little further in
our drawing off, and each t^^inghis
own course, God will leave us to our-
selves. But he will not leave us as
long as we manifest a desire to do
right ; and I am pleased to say there
is a feeling generally among the
brethren to listen to counsel, yet at
the same time we are. apt to get con-
fused, forgetting the object we have
in view, amidst the variety of things
that present themselves. Shall wei
my brethren, give up co-operation 1
or shall we consider men in good
fellowship who are pulling off in
either direction, or shall we not)
What shall we do ? Shall we be true
to our religion, true to our faith, tr^ie
to the principles that Gpd has oomr
manded ; or shall we forsake them \
We will not forsake them, and the
brethren generally do not feel like
doing it ; but there are a few now
and then who get off the track. We
coHPRBHSNsnnttlBSs <Mr THS uaa/n pratsb, na
€1
want to get together and unite our
hearts and sympathies into one,
placing ourselves under proper direc-
tion, holding ourselves in readiness
to perform any work required by God
at our hands. I will tell you in the
name of Israers God that if you
keep his commandments you will be
the richest of all people, for God
will pour wealth upon you ; but if
you do not, you will have to struggle a
good deal more than you have done
for the Spirit and blessings of God
will be withdrawn from us, jast in
proportion as we withdraw ourselves
from God. We are living in an
eventful age, an age in which many
wonderful changes are to be
wrotight. We are told many other
tilings of a similar nature, that ht
who will not take up his swovi
against his neighbor, must needs fle^
to Zion for safety. The Latter-di^
Saints will see the day when peop&
will flock to Zion, and many of them
will say, we do not know anythmg
about your religion, but you are au
honorable, just, industrious and
virtuous people, you administer jus-
tice and equity, and the rights of
man are protected and maintained.
You maintain good government,
extending protecticm to everybody,
and we want to live with you and
be one with you. We want to pre-
pare ourselves for these things, for
they are coming as sure as God lives;
Amen.
DISCOUKSB BY PBESIDEST JOHN TAYLOR,
DBJTSRBD IN TBB SALT LAXE ASSBMBIiY HALL, At TH£ QUABTEBLY €(09
FERENCE, SUNDAY AFTEBKOON, JANUARY 4l>H, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvme<J
CdMPREH]KNBiy£NES& OF THE LORd's PRAYER — THE RUU AND GOVUnRN-
MENT ' OF OOB — THE REVELATION OF THE FATHER AND SON TO
JOI^fiPH SMFTH, AND THE BESTOWAL UPON HiM OF THE PRIESTHOOD
— ^DEVELOPMENT OF THEOCRATIC LAWS AND PRINCIPLES -OBJECT OF
6ATHERING~-RELmi0rS FRBBD0M--OI7R RELATIONS WITH THE QENliB-
KAL GOVERNMENT.
I ^liive t)een v^ry much pleased
and 'interested in -the proceedings
of this conference and in the teach-
ings 'th^t <ire' have 'had fromt^nose
who have' addressed us, and I taice
very great pleasure in performing Hky
pkrt in thcMse elsercises in whi6k>we
«6^ now (MigagM. It would.
€2
jOvbnal of disgoubai^s.
that this building is rather too small
for us at present ; I do not know
that we can stretch it any ; conse-
aequently we will put up with things
as -they are. However it will only be
on extraordinary occasions that we
ahall have the amount of people in
it that there is to-day. By and by
the storms will be over and the
winter past, and we have got a
larger building close by, that we can
go to. I am very much pleased how-
ever, with the exertions that have
been made in preparing this building
so far, it is tme that it is in an
unfinished condition for the assem-
bling of the Saints at this conference ;
but I suppose that it will be quite
gratifying to the priesthood and to
all who have assembled together on
this occasion, to possess the privilege
we now enjoy.
There are a few thoughts that
have passed through my mind in
hearing the remarks of some of my
brethren. I was much pleased this
morning in- listening to the remarks
made by Brother Pratt and the
brethren who succeeded him, particu-
larly in regard to the subject that
they seemed to have their minds
upon, that is in relation to the ob-
servance of the word of wisdom ; and
although, like Brother Pratt, I should
have t« make an acknowledgement
that I have not fulfilled thatalways,
yet, I heartily sustain and coincide
with every principle that God has
revealed for the temporal or spiritual
iBalvation of his people. There were
some remarks associated with those
made by some of the brethren that
also bore a little on my mind, .namely,
- that our religion did not consist
simply in one principle but in many,
agreeable to what has been spoken
' in ancient days that " man shall not
live by bread alone but by every
' word that proceedeth out of the
I i&«uth of God." . But we are none
of us justified in repudiating or
ignoring any one of those principles
which God has given unto us, and
if we have been negligent in these
or other matters the proper way far
us to do is to reform, to begin anew,
or, at least if we have let down
any stitches, as the sisters some-
times say when they are knitting,
gather them up again and put things
in proper position that we may be
able, not only in that but in every-
thing else, to honor our God in adl
sincerity, fidelity and integrity ; that
we may be able to present ourselves
before the Lord in a manner which
shall always have his acceptance.
We need teaching continually,
line upon line, precept upon precept,
here a little and there a little.
Hence we have our various organiza-
tions of the priesthood, calculated to
oversee to manipulate, to regulate,
to teach, to instruct, and to enter
into all the ramifications of life
whether they pertain to this world
or the world to come. We need
continually not only the guidance
and the teachings of the apostles,
the presidents, the bishops, priests,
teachers, deacons and the various
organizations of the priesthood ; but
we need individually to look unto
the Lord for wisdom to direct us in
all the affairs of life, that we may
speak aright, that we may think
aright, that we may act aright, and
we may perform the various duties
devolving upon us to attend to in all
of the avocations of life, and in our
prayers, in our various devotions in
a family capacity, in a church capa-
city and in every position that we
oQCupy, we need the guidance and
direction of the Almighty. And it
is with individuals as it is with
families and branches and portions
of families, we need to seek unto
the Lord and obtain wisdom from
I him. There is one fact, and that is
COMPREHENSFOOBMBSS 'OB VHfi LORD'S PRAYER, ETC.
6d
a great many people — scarcely any of
tiB — ^know what is good for us. We
may have our ideas about that ; but
we need continually the guidance
and direction of the Almighty. The
disciples, that is the apostles of old,
understood this principle and they
asked the Lord to teach them how to
pray and in a very few words he
uttered one of the most compre-
hensive forms that has ever been
penned or spoken. He said when
you pray say " Our Father, which art
in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is done in heaven ; give
us this day our daily bread ; forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive them
that trespass against us, and lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil ; for thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory, far ever and
ever, amen.*' That is a most com-
prehensive prayer. In the first
place the Ood of the universe is
recognized, our Father. who is in the
heavens, the God and the Father of
Jesus Christ. And what else 1 The
God and Father of the spirits of all
flesh. We recognisse and reverence
him as *' Our Father, which art in
heaven,", we bow before him and
seeiq unto him for his guidance an<]
direction. We hallow and reverence
his name. And then what next]
"Thy kingdom come." What king-
dom 1 All those things branch out
into great and important principles,
that can only be understood by rev-
elations from the Most High. "Thy
kingdom come." Why^ That "thy
will may be done on eartlfHis' it is
done in heaven."
I wish to refer a Kttle to some of
i these things, those ideas and princi-
ples that are developed in this say-
ing, in part, because these things can
> omy be done in part. We talk a
good deal about the church and
' nngdam of God. 1 80^letImes think
we understand very little about
either. The kingdom of God means
the government of God. That means,
power, authority, rule, dominion,
and a people to rule over ; but that
principle will not be fulfilled, cannot
be entirely fulfilled, until, as we are
told in the Scriptures, the kingdoms
of this world are become the king-
doms of our Lord and his Christ, and
he will rule over them. And when
unto him every knee shall bow and
every tongue confess that he is
Christ, to the glory of God, the
Father. That time has not yet
come, but there are certain princi-
ples associated therewith that have
come, namely, the introduction of
that kingdom, and the introduction
of that kingdom could only be made
by. that being who is the king and
ruler, and the head of that govern-
ment, first communicating his ideas,
his principles, his laws, his govern-
ment to the people ; otherwise we
should not kaow what his laws were.
The world has been governed in
every kind of form ; we have had
every species of government. Some-
times we have had patriarchal gov-
ernment, at other times we have had
unlimited monarchies or what may
be called despotic govomments,
where the power to rule is in the
hands of one individual. At other
times we have had limited monarch-
ies such as exist in many places now
upon the face of the earth. In other
placesandatdifferentages wehavehad
what is termed republican govern-
ments where the voice of the people
has ruled and governed and managed
the people's affairs. There have
been various forms independent of
these, which I do not wish to enter
into at present, but nowhere have
we had the government of €rod. It
is true that for a limited period
among a very small people in eariy
days, among the Jews, (hey pr(>fo8s-
Bi
JOtnUfAL'Or 1U800Q1I8KL
ed to be under the gaidance of God
for a certain length of time. But
they were continually departing
therefrom. They had their priest-
hood, they had their prophets, they
had their Urim and Thummim, and
through these mediums they sought
the wisdom and guidance of God in
regard to many of the prominent
enterprises in which they engaged.
The law given by Moses was one of
those things that emanated from
God. Moses received from the Lord
the ten commandments written upon
tables of stone — written by the finger
of God — ^and this people, who were
then quite a small people compara-
tively speaking, received the com-
mands of God and professed, at
least, to be governed thereby. The
Lord gave them commands and they
were proclaimed to the people, and
when proclaimed it was usual for all
the people to say "Amen. These
laws we will observe and do." But
this was among a very limited people.
(Very fcoon they desired to have a
kiug to rule over them, but the idea
that was then considered proper
Among them was : " The Lord is our
king, the Lord is our judge, the
'Lord is our lawgiver, and he ishall
rutie over us." We see the feeling
itfrhich they, had and entertained -as a
.ptople, but they departed from it
and they sought a king and were
led asti^ay from correct principles-
led into folly, darkness, ignorance —
until they were scattered abroad to
the four winds of heaven.'
There has been a time spoken, of
by all the holy prophets since ihe
world was, when God should govern
his. people, and the Jews, when ii&e
Messiah came, expected that be T^as
come to reign over Israel as a
tem^al king, that he was going to
take possession of his kingdotn to
overthrow all other, kiis^^doms,
emfixeSf dyiutsties aiid powers, /akid
declare himsdf thie Idrig of Israel and
of the world. But they did not
understand many things associated
therewith, and they do not now.;
and the world does not, and we our-
selves understand, very Httle about
them. But the Scriptures say that
'^ till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise. pass
from the law till all be fulfilled."
Now tJden, if the kingdoms of this
world have never yet become the
kingdoms of our God and his
Christ they will be, and it is neces-
sary that there should be a
commencement to this as well as to
every other thing. This is a matter
that has been looked forward to by
prophets and apostles, patriarchs,
and men of God in the various
dispensations of time. It is (M^i
'* the dispensation of the fullness of
times" wh^i God will gather together
all things in one whether they be
things on the earth or things in
the heavens. Now thete must of
necessity be. a startinjg point for this,
and the question is how is it to origi-
nate 1 Who among the nations of
the earth, knew or eomprehendM
anything about the government df
Godi None did; nowhere; noldoi^,
no emperor, no potentate,, no piresi-
dent, no power li^n the face of tliie
earth; no divine or theologian, v^
scientist, no philosopher, understood
anything about this matter. It da
indeed the kingdom of God, and
being hi^kii^dom, it must oiiginilio
with Mmvitmu^t receive from hSan
its teachings, ita'fonns, its principles,,
its laii^S, its on^nanoes, its institu-
tions, and ever]^'thing conneatied
therswith must emanate from God,
and as:it .waa necessary that it shoiUd
ori^altefwith ^im,' it is also nedes-
sary thatit'-fiiuEHild be. upheld and
: sustained by hin^ and that those /who
' should opeKKie in this kingdom
sb&tild i^igovtoied by^ the jsanko
COMPREHENSIVENXSa OF TEE LORDS PRAYBB, BTC
spirit that you heard Brother Pratt I
talk about this morning. It became
necessary also tliat a medium should
be introduced whereby man might I
be placed ia commuiiioii mth God ;
that they might comprehend him, j
that they migat undcrstaod his laws
■when he gave them, that they miglit I
be acquainted with the principles ;
which he had to develop ; lor there
is one great principle that men very
little understand, viz : "The things of
God knowelh no man, but the Spirit
of God," and if they don't kiiow
only through his wisdom it would be
in vain for God to communicate with
a people who could not comprehend
him, who had not the capacity to
receive these principles which he
had te communicate. The same
principle holds good everywhere
among all the principles with which
we are acquainted or know anything
about. You cannot teach a child
algebra, nor irithmetic, until it has
gone through a certain system of
training. You cannot t«ach the
arts and sciences without necessary
preparation fer their introduction,
nor can you teach people in the
government of God without they are
placed in communication with him,
and hence comes the Church of G^d,
and what ia meant by thati A
school, if you please, wherein men
are tangbt certain principles,
wherran we can receive a certain
spirit through obedience to cert^n
ordinances. And we, having received
this spirit through those ordinances,
were then prep^ed to take the initi-
at^ily steps in relatit)n to other mat-
ters, and hence as a commencement
the Lord appeared unto Joseph
Smith, both the Father and the Son,',
the Fatber pointing to the Son said,
"this iamy beloved Son in whom I|
aiif' 'wefl pleased, ' hear ye him."
Here, thin, was a communication
from the heavens made known unto
No. 6.
man on the earth, and he at that .
time came into possesion of a fact ,
that no man knew in the world but
he, and tbaC is that God lived, for
he had seen him, and that his Son
Jesus Christ lived, for he also had .
seen him. What next! Now says , .
the Father, "This is my beloved
Son, hear him." The manner, the
mode, the why, and the wherefore, .;
he designed to introduce through
him were not explained ; but he,
the Son of God, the Savior of the
world, the Redeemer of man, he was
the one pointed out to be the guide,
the director, the instructor, and the
leader in the development of the
great principles of that kingdom and
that government which he then com-
menced to institute. What next 1 ,
Tlie next step was that men having
held the priesthood, that had
ministered in time and eternity aud
that held the keys of the priesthood
came and conferred tliem upon
Joseph Smith. John the Baptist
conferred upon him the Aaronio
priesthood, aud Peter, James and
John the Melchisedec 'priesthood: .'
aud then others who had operated
in the various ages of the world, euch as
Moses and Enoch,aappeared and.con-
ferred upon him the authority that,
they held pertaining to thesematt^is.
Whyt Because it was "thedispeiiSB- ''
tion of the fullness of times," not of
one time only but of all the times ; ,
it was the initiatory step for the '
development of all the Dri"ciples that , ,
ever existed, or would exist pertiun- '_
ing to this world, or the world to
come. WhatnMtl He was com- .
man"
to b; 'j
had
and
in> j
66
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
Christ, who repented of their sins,
that they were to be baptized for
a i*emi8sion of their sins and to have
hands laid upon them for the recep-
tion of the Holy Ghost. What then]
There was a priesthood organized, a
First Presidency, the Twelve; a High
Council, Patriarchs, quorums of High
Priests, Seventies, Elders, Bishops,
Priests, Teachers and Deacons, to
carry on the purposes of God, and to
instruct men in the laws pertaining
to his kingdom, even the laws of
life. Men were sent forth in the
name of God to preach the principles
of truth which had been revealed,
and a great many believed and were
baptized and were initiated into the
Church of God, and we may say into
the initiatory or preparatory steps
necessary for the establishment of
the kingdom of God. They then
received the Spirit of God, which is
" no cunningly devised fable ;" it did
not originate with man, it was the
sift of God to man. The Elders, for
instance, were told to go forth and
call upon men to repent, to be
baptized, and they were to lay their
hands upon them that they should
receive the Holy Ghost. And what
should that do ) Take of the things
of God and shew them unto the
people. This is one of the greatest
developments of power that ever
existed among men. You Elders,
hundreds of you that are now listen-
ing to me, have gone forth to preach
this Gospel. Ton have called upon
men to believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and they have done it. You
have called upon men to repent,
and they have done it You
have told them to be baptized and
y6u have baptized them. You have
then laid your hands upon their
heads and said " receive ye the Holy
Gjipst," and they have received it
And you know, and this congregation
knows, that what I say is true, and
by that principle, through obedience
to the law of God that he had intro-
duced in his Gospel. What fori
To prepare men to be placed in com-
munion with God. To prepare them
to be members not only of his Church
but of his Kingdom, and to prepare
them to take part in this great event
that had to transpire in the last days.
Now these are facts that you eannot
controvert, nor anybody else. You
know that these things are true.
What does it prove] That it is
God's kingdom, he has introduced
it, and as it was said in former times,
" Ye are my witnesses," as well as
the Holy Ghost that beareth witness
of us. Now, then, could you have
received this without the interposi-
tion of the Almighty and his Son
Jesus Christ 1 No you could not
Could you have received it .without
the keys of the priesthood being
restored and which some men affect
to despise so much ? No you could
not. Hence we trace out the order
of these institutions as they dwelt
in the mind of God, and as they
were made manifest among men.
Have those elders that perform these
ceremonies their weaknesses 1 Yes,
just as much as Elder Pratt and I
have our weaknesses. Have they
their infirmities 1 Yes. Was it a
rich treasure that was conferred upon
us] Yes, but we received it
in earthen vessels, surrounded with
the infirmities of man. But God
knew these infirmities ; he was
acquainted with all our weaknesses.
Nevertheless, he conferred upon us
this priesthood, this power, and this
authority, and when we went forth
in his name and by his authority,
God sanctioned our acts. Is Ood
with us while these things take
place ? I think so. What do yoa
think about iti It is a principle
that is clear, and plain and demon-
strable.
COMPREHENSIVENESS OP THE LORD'S PRAYER, ETC.
67
Well, what next 1 Then we began
to gather together. And why do
we gather together 'I Some of us
can hardly tell why, and I am often
surprised when I read letters impor-
tuning us in regard to this matter.
I get Tetters time and again praying
that some means may be devised
that the Saints may be delivered
and gathered to Zion, and be enabled
to live with the Saints of God.
What is the reason of it ] Why do
they want to gather 1 Because there
was a spirit and influence associated
with this Church and this kingdom
which led and propelled them to this
action, and you who hear me have
felt this influence ; you felt a desire
to gather, and you came, and those
that are not here now feel as strong
a desii^e to gather as you did. And
when you have gathered, many of
you think it is a curious kind of Zion,
don't you 1 It is ; for while the net
gathers in the good, it brings in all
kinds as well, good and bad.
We have some very good fish, and
some very bad ones, and some a kind
of half and halfl and some feel like
saying " Good Lord and good devil,"
as they do not know into whose hands
they may fall. Nevertheless, this is
the order, and the wheat and tares,
I suppose, have got to grow together
until the harvest comes, and that is
not quite here yet, and hence we are
jostling one against another, and
some of us hardly know whether it
is us or somebody else. Difficulties
and trials beset us, and we are
amazed. But we are here, and we
are here according to the command
of God and according to the opera-
tion of the Spirit of God that rests
upon us, and did rest upon us, and
l»i us here, and I was going to say,
we are here because we could not
help it.
Well, what next ] Who are we,
and what are we when we are here]
Some good Latter-day Saints, and
some, as I have said, half and half,
some one thing and some another.
But how do we stand in the position
we occupy as a Church and as other
people stand ] We believe in God.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We be .ieve in virtue, purity, holiness,
integrity, honesty. We believe in
good citizens and good Saints. We
believe in keeping the command-
ments of God, aud carrying out his
purposes. We believe in spreading
the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
We believe in gathering together the
honest in heart. We believe in build-
ing temples and administering therein
for the living and for the dead, and
we believe in acting as saviors upon
Mount Zion according to the word
of the Lord. All these things and
a great many more are leading prin-
ciples which we as Saints profess to
believe in. Well, we have a right
to do that, although there are others
who do not believe in those thmgs.
They have just as much right not to
believe in our principles as we have
to believe in them. And we some-
times feel angry and out of sorts
with others because they do not
believe as we do. Well, we do not
believe as they do. Some of them
think we are very foolish, very enthu-
siastic, very superstitious, and very
wicked. Those that know us do not
think we are so bad after all. We
have our weaknesses and imper-
fections, yet we are quite as good as
the balance of them, and a little
better, and we ought to be, for we
make great pretensions. But they
think these things about us. They
think we are deluded. Nov the
only difference between us and them
is that we know they are supersti-
tious and corrupt, and that they
violate those laws they profess to
believe in and those principles which
they profess to be governed and
6a
jgUB^Jf 4.1, ,0h\ DISOpURSJj^.
glided by. But we have no light v
tOj expect everybody to submit to
oiif doctrines, our vie\ys, our princi-
ples, it is a matter of free-will with
tljera, and as I said they have just as
mi^cli right to believe as they think
proper and to worship as they choose
as we have. These are some princi-
ples that are really correct. Well,
they tiy to prevent us from worship-
ping as we believe t Now that is —
what shall I call it 1 a doctrine of
devils, it does not come from God,
he is more free and generous in his
fefelings than that. He does not
control the consciences of men nor
force them to obey his behests ; it is
a fatter of free grace, it is a matter
of tVee will. Well, though they
think they have a right to interfere
with us, we do not think we have a
right to interfere with them. And
I do not think we do. There is a
number of institutions here in this
citj^, Catholics, Episcopalians, Pres-
byterians, Methodists, Baptists, etc.,
and I do not know how msLny more,
quite a pile of them. If they think
they are right I am quite willing
they should think so. I do not wish
to' interfere with them. Who inter-
feres with their building meeting
houses 1 Who interferes with their
worship 1 If there is anything of
this sort I do not know of it ; I hope
I ^liall not know of it ; I hope never
to hear of such things. I believe
that all men have the privilege of
worshipping God according to the
dictates of their own consciences and
then I think we possess just the same
rifftit ; and when they depart from
this principle and wish to curtail us
of our rights they are violating the
spirit and genius of the institutions
of* our common country, and aho
those of the kingdojga of heaven with
which we are associated. They are
also violating those good feelings
that ought to exist between man and
man, brother a«d brother, and they
are interfering with things that in no
wise belong to them.
Now then, here is the ground that
we stand on in a religious capacity. .
If I can find a way and you can find ,
a way, whereby we can approach our
God and have him for our guide, .
our teacher and instructor, if they
cannot do it, it is none of tlieir busi-
ness what we do. They have
nothing to do with it, it is none of
their business in any way whatever, ,
and any interference is an inter-
terence with the legitimate rights
and inherent principles that belong
to humanity.
"Well, so far as they stand on their
platform and we on ours, they may
be Methodists, they may be Presby-
terians ; all right. Tliey may get up
their revival meetings and think
they are doing a great deal of good;,
all right, and so far as they teach '
good moral principles, and do not
depart from truth, all right. So far
as they obey the laws of the land,
all right; we have nothing to do
with them 1 Have you ] Has the
dty 1 Hiis the Territory 1 No.
Well then, we will go a little
further^ By being here we become
an integral part of the government
of the United States, as a Territory.
Very well. Here is another thing
we are talkng about. Is that the
goviernment of God 1 Not quite, but
it is the government we are living '
under, and if they treat us right and
extend to us any kindness we appre-
ciate that. If they treat us wrong,
we think it is not according to cor-
rect principles. We think as Ameri-
can citizens we ought to receive all the
privileges equally wuth other people;
we think we ought to be allowed to .
worship God according to the
dictates of our consciences and be pror
tected in our worship. ^ So far, then,
as I have said bejfoie,. we are on a .
COMPREHENSIVENESS 6T tHB LORD*» PRAYER, FTC.
69
'level. Now thi^n, we arfe on the same
<^ound in tegar(VliO'pbliticl3tl'circihti*
^nces. ^Vr^*kr0iiM^T%WVi&m
•^tates/^ttit'the'TJillWd Stitteskiiot
'%6 kin^om 6f ^od. It 'dbes "rfot
wofess to he uii^der hk tule,
'moT his government, 'nor his
' authority. Yet we are expected as
*<nti2ens of the United States to keep
' "the laws of the United States, and
'^ hence we are, as' I 'said befo4*e, an
' integral part of the government,
Yery well, what is expected of us 1
■ That we observe its laws, that we
' eonform to its usages, that we . are
governed by good and wholesome
Principles, that we maintain the
iws in their integrity and that we
sustain the government, and we
ought to do it. But'there is aprin,-
• ciple here that I wish to speak about.
God dictates in a great measure the
affairs of the nations of the earth,
their kingdoms and governments
* and rulers and those that hold
dominion. He sets up one and pulls
down another, according to his will.
That is an old doctrine, but it is true
to-day. Have we governors 1 have
we a president of the United States'?
have we men in authority? Yes.
Is it right to traduce thpir charac-
' tors'? No, it is not. Is it right for
us to oppose them 1 No, it is not.
Is it right for them to traduce usi
No, it is not. Is it right for them
to oppress us in any way ? No, it is
•not. We ought to pray for these
people, for those that are in autho-
rity, that they may be lead in the
right way, that they may be pre-
served from evil, thiit they may
adniinister the government in right-
eousness, and that they may pursue
a course that will receive the appro-
bation of heaven. Well, what eise]
Then we ought to pray for oarselves
that when any plans or contrivances
or opposition to the law of God, to
the Church and kingdom of God, or
to his people, are ibtrodnced, *iyAd
Vheu^Ver we are sought' to hi tAihe
the Victims' bftyninTiy land 'ri{ii!«88-
Son, «Wit' tfie ftaM6f Qrfdtoa^
bVer'fis atld over them to |)ar2tl^o
their acts and protect us, for as i^is
written, the wrath of man ^liiW
praise him, the remainder of wr^h
^all he restrain.
'Now, we in Utah here are und^r
the government of the United States ;
we are a very little portion of it.
It is true we have our legislators,
we have our probate judges, we haye
our marshals, constables, etc., we
have our city charters etc., etc., aind
certain immunities and privileges of
this kind. Well, shall we %e
governed by them 1 Yes. Shall we
obey the law 1 Yes. Shall I as a
citizen of this city obey the laws of
this city? Yes. Shall I cattfee
trouble or speak evil of the mayor
or city council or any of the admin-
istrators of the law ? No, I ought
to pray for them that they may leHil
aright and administer justice
equitably and act for the welfare and
interest of the community wherein
they live and for whom they operate.
Am I a citizen of the United States?
Yes, and I ought to feel the feame
toward them.
Well, now, there are some import-
ant points come in here. As I have
said, we are a very small portion of
this government. Now, do we wifeh
to overthrow the government. I
think not. I think we do not. Do
we wish to cause them trouble ? Not
that I know of. I know we are
accused of that ; but it is not true.
These statements are not correct.
Our religion, however, differs frdm
the religion of many others, and as I
have said before, while they look for
liberty to worship God as they pleaje,
they do not want us to possess the
same privileges. There is nothihg
new in this ; but because of tkia
70
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSE&
have they a right to interfere lYith
the isstitutions of which we have
become a part 1 Do not our legisla-
tore, our gevernors, and all men here
awearfealtynot only to the Territory,
but to the United States, and say
they will support the Constitution,
laws, and institutions thereof]
They do. This is the position we
occu])y. But we are placed in a
Peculiar position in some things,
'hey — I was going to say in their
wisdom, but I will say in their folly,
and 1 hope they will excuse me, for
I look upon it in that way — have
passed certain laws trying to inter-
fere with us in our operations in
religious affairs. Well, we cannot
help that. I told you a while ago —
you believe me, this congregation
believes me with very few exceptions
— that God had introduced and
instituted this Church, that he was
the founder of it, that it emanated
from him, the doctrines, ordinances,
principles, government, priesthood,
authority, and all that pertain to it
emanated from him ; we had nothing
to do with it. Joseph Smith had
nothing to dp with it, only as a
passive worker in the hands of the
Lord. Brigham Young had nothing
to do with it only acting in tliat
capacity. I have nothing to do with
it, nor my brethren of the Twelve.
God revealed it. I cannot help it.
Can you? Can any onel Now,
then, this people have been
received into this Church in the
way that I have spoken of, and have
actually received communication
from God by the laying on of hands,
received the Holy Ghost, and have
a hope within them blooming with
immortality and eternal lives, and
are in possession of a hope that
enters within the veil whither Christ
has gone. Can you uproot that from
the minds of this people ? No, no
power on earth, no power in heaven.
nor all the combined nations of the
earth can do it ; God planted it there,
man cannot take it away, and men
are foolish in trying to attempt it
Very well. But they do try to inter-
fere with us under a pretence that
we are very wicked here. Well, it
is enough to make a person laugb
sometimes, when we think about
these things, and enough to make ns
sorry when we know of the hypo-
crisy, lasciviousness, crime, murder,
bloodshed that prevail in this natioa
and other nations, to hear them talk
to us about our morality. We know
when they talk in that way that
they are hypocrites. We know that
they know better when they tell
these things to the world.
Now, then, the United States pas»
a law that a man shall not marry
wives according to the order that
God has revealed. Now it is a fact
that we should like to obey th^ laws
of the United States, if we could do
it. If they could only tell us how
to get out of the dilemma they have
placed us in we should be very much
obliged to them, we really should
like to get out of it. But we have
had no hand in either of these things.
We had no hand in making the
commandment that God has given to
his people, and we have had no hand
in making the law of the United
States pertaining to these things.
We feel very desirous of keeping the
laws of the land if they would only
let us ; but we should pray our
Father in heaven that he might
preserve them from making laws
that we cannot conscientiously keep
without violating our consciences
and transgressing the law of God.
And if they do we shall be under the
necessity of leaving ihem in the
hands of God for him to deal with
them as he may deem proper, and
we will put our trust in the living
God and risk the consequences let
GOMPRKHENSIVENESS OF THE LOBD'S PRAYBR, ETC.
71
them be what they may.
Now, these fu-e our feelings on
this point. Is it well to tell these
feelings') Yes. We want to be
frank and open and candid and free
from hypocrisy of every kind, and
feel as though we were the children
of our Father in heaven without
euilt, without treachery, without
fraud of any kind. Let us be sincere
worshippers of God and believers in
him and in his law. But do we pro-
pose to govern, interfere with, or rebel
against the Government of the
United States? No, we do not.
That is not in the programme.
Has God given us a law? Yes.
All right we will get along and do
the best we can, but we won't for-
sake our God. All who are willing to
abide by the laws of God signify it
by raising the right hand (unani-
mous vote). Now try and keep
them. But will we fight against
the United States ? No, we will not.
Well, how will these things be
brought about 1 Don't you expect
that the kingdoms of this world will
become the kingdoms of our God
and his Christ ? Yes^ I do, as much
as I believe 1 am speaking to you
and you are hearing me, and I not
only believe it but know it. Well,
now, how will that be brought about
if you do not pitch in 1 We need
not do this. There is plenty that
will pitch in ; there will be plenty of
trouble by and by without our inter-
ference, when men begin to tear
away one plank after another out of
the platform of constitutional liberty ;
there will not be much to tie to.
And how will you get along with
them ) We will leave them to get
along with themselves. And how
will that be? We are told the
wicked shall slay the wicked, but
says the Lord : *' It is my business
to take care of the Saints." God
will stand by Israel, and Zion shall
triumph and this work will go on
until the kingdom is established and
and all nations bow to its standard.
May God bless you, may he lead
you in the path of light, is my
prs^yer in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
72
JOURNAL' OF DISCOURSES.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. Q. CANNON.
Delivbred in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 5th, 187^.
(Reported hy Geo, F. Gibbs.)
spiritual gifts attainable — unc.hangeablbness ok god — universa-
lity OF THE right TO REVELATION — THE SAINTS GLORIFY THE GOD
OF REVELATION — NECESSITY OF SELl -GOVERNMENT.
Li standing up to address this
congregation there is one feeling
that rests upon me, and that is, my
inability to instruct so numerous a
people unless God shall pour out
his Holy Spirit upon me and upon
you.
We have come together to-day
accordingto our custom to be instruc-
ted in those duties that devolve
upon u^ aiid also in the principles
of our holy religion. These meetings
are to me exceedingly precious; they
are seasons of great rejoicing. And
having the opporunity as we have
to-day of assembling in peace and
quietness without any to molest or
make afraid, we should feel thank-
ful, to that (lod who has brought us
here; who has preserved and pro-
tected us since we came.
The instructions which we have
had to-day since we have assembled
together, if fully obeyed by us and
carried out in our lives, will make us
a people who shall be worthy the
name we bear, the name of Latter-
day Saints. And as was remarked
this morning the great object in
teaching the people and impressing
upon them the counsels that are
given from time to time, is to have
us carry out practically m our lives
the principles of that religion which
we have espoused. This is the great
labor devolving upon us. It is not
to be theoretical alone ; it is not to
dwell with great interest and with
great eloquence upon those heavenly
doctrines that God has revealed and
to become enraptured over them
while listening to them, but it is to
make a practical application of them
to our thoughts, to our words and
to all the actions of our lives. And
in this way alone can we acceptably
serve the Lord our God, whose name
we bear and whose people we pro-
fess to be. There is no reason why
this people called Latter-day Saints
should not have all the powers and
all the gifts and all the graces that
ever characterized the Church of
God upon the earth at any time;
there is no reason, I say, why they
ishould not have all these if they
themselves are true to the principles
which have been revealed, and seek
to cany them out. Who is there
of this congregation, who is there
that belongs to this Church in any
part of this Territory, who does not
have a desire in his or her heart for
those blessings and those gifts and
qualifications that were promised to
the ancient Saints and which have
been renewed in our day to those
who embrace the Gospel with all
their hearts 1 The Lord is the same
yesterday, to-day and forever. This
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, ETC.
73
^is the corner-stone, itipay.be s^id^of
., our faith. It is upon |;his founda-
.tipn we have built ; that ^he is an
., unchangeable God ; tb^tl^e does not
manifest his mind and his will in
plainnessand simplicity to one people,
and hide the same from a succeed-
ing people who are equally faithful.
But the great truth has been im-
pressed upon us ; the great truth
that runs through all the writings of
every man of God concerning whom
we have any account from the begin-
. ning down to the last revelation that
has been given, that God is no
respecter of persons, that he is to-day
: as he was yesterday and as he ever
was, and that he will continue to be
the same being as long as time
endures or eternity continues. And
we have been impressed with this as
I have said, by every man who has
\ spoken concerning God and spoken
by authority from him. I say, there-
fore, there is no reason why the
Latter-day Saints to-day should not
. obtain and enjoy the gifts and graces
; and blessings of the Ciospel the same
as they were enjoyed in ancient days
by tlie ancient servants and people
. of God.
Has God groWn old 1 .Have God's
.; ears become heavy 1 Has his sight
become dim ? Has his arm become
shortened? Has age affected him
] or the lapse of time detracted from
; his powers 1 Has it had the same
, effect upon him as upon mortal
. beings who are subject to decay and
. death 1 Is this the kind, of being we
J worship 1 is this the kind of being
k concerning whom, the prophets and
apostles have spoken and written 1
. Certaiidy not. \Ve worship him, we
^ j fkdore him, we lift iip our eyes to him,
we rely upon him as the Supreme
: JBeing, the Creator of the heavens
<■ and the earth, the foundeir of the
, .universe, the builder of the planet
which we inhabit and which we
tread, the being over whom cen-
turies have passed without makipg
any change to his injury ; eternity
has rolled i^i^d continues to roll and
will continue to roll without in the
least affecting his power or his
capacity for good, his eye does not
grow dim by the lapse ©f ages ; his
ear does not become heavy by the
passage of time, neither does his ann
become short or feeble. He is the
God whom we worship. When we
call upon him, though he may be
remote from us, dwelling in his holy
habitation in the midst of the eter-
nities, the very thoughts of our
hearts, the very conceptions of our
minds, the feeble whisperings of our
voices, they ascend to him, ^e
carried to him, his ear comprehends
them ; his bowels of compassion are
moved towaids us his children, his
all-piercing eye penetrates eternity,
and the glance of his vision reaches
us.
There is not a single thought of
our hearts which he does not compre-
hend ; there is nothing connected
with us he does not know. We may
hide ourselves in the bowels of the
earth, but we cannot conceal our-
selves from his all-piercing sight.
We may climb the highest moun.-
tains or descend into the deepest
valleys or we may go to the utter-
most parts 0. the earth, . but where-
ever we may go he is there, nis
power is there, his vision is theie to
hear and to comprehend the desires
and the wishes of our hearts.
This being the case, why sliould
we not approach him in faith ? Wjjat
reason is there that men arid women
living in tlais the 19tli century
should not approach him with the
confidence of those who lived in ihe
15th century of the world, or the
20th or the 4,00Uth year of the
world'] If he could hear their cries,
if he could answer their prayers and
74
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
if he could grant to them the
desires of their hearts ; if he could
open the heavens to them and reveal
his mind and will unto them when
they called upon him in ftdth, believ-
ing that he would do so, is there
any reason why we should not have
that same faith and exercise it and
obtain those same blessings and
receive them at his hands ? Who is
there that can stand up and say
there are reasons why this should
be the case^ If we admit, as we
must do, that he is this being which
I have attempted so feebly to
describe ; if we admit that he is the
God of gods, the Lord of lords, the
creator of all, the father of all, the
sustainer of all ; if we believe this,
why cannot we believe that if he
bestowed his blessings upon other
fenerations and other people, he will
o so to us, also that he will hear
our prayers, that he will grant unto
us the desires of our hearts ?
Now, my brethren and sisters, I
look upon these conferences and
these assemblages as having for
their object the enforcement of
these great truths upon us and upon
our attention ; the object of them as
I understand them, is to make us
Latter-day Saints not in name alone
but in word and in deed ; to be men
and women of God ; to place us in
communion with God ; to receive
communication from him; to have
our false tradition, our improper
ideas, our unbelief, our hardness of
heart, and those feelings that
surround us, that grow up with us,
to have them removed from us. Is
there any reason why this should
not be the case ? No reason except
that which may be found in our-
selves. There is no reason outside
of this. God is willing, he has made
promises, and he has fulfilled his
promises so far as we have placed
ourselves in circumstances to receive
them. When we have complied
with the conditions he has never
from the beginning up to the
present time failed in his part, he is
incapable of failing. If there b»
failure it is due to us, the fault is
our own, we are the guilty ones.
Let me ask of you, when did yoa
ever, any one of you, humble your-
selves before God, when did you in
secret call upon him in the name of
Jesus and ask him for his Holy
Spirit and the blessings thereof, and
fail to receive an answer to your
prayers 1 If there are any Latter-
day Saints in this condition then
there is something wrong with them.
God has made promi&es unto us that
if we will do certain things, if
we will obey certain command-
ments and ordinances, he will bes-
tow his blessing and he will answer
the prayers of those who take this
course. But how many are there of
us who go on from day to day and
from week to week and from month
to month careless upon these points,
failing to live so as to receive the
blessings that he has promised, until
it would seem when they bow down
to call upon him that their prayers
scarcely ascend higher than the tops^
of their heads.
As I have said, God in ancient
days was a God of revelation ; God
in our day is a God of revelation,
and he communicates his mind and
his will unto those who seek after it,.
not to the President of the Church
alone ; not to the apostles of the
Church alone; not to the high
priests or seventies or any of the
officers or all of them alone, but he
communicates his mind and his will
to all who seek after him in humility
and meekness and lowliness of heart,
obeying his commandments. To the
Latter-day Saints alone 1 No, not
even to them alone for there is no
human being that is bom of woman.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, ETC.
71^
there is no son or daughter of Adam
that has ever lived upon the face of
the earth who has npt the right and
who has not obtained at some time
or other in his or her life, revelations
from God, but who may not have
understood what those revelations
were. The Latter-day Saints are
not so cramped in their feelings as
to imagine that they are the only
and peculiar people above all others
who have, in this sense received
revelation. They believe themselves
to be the people of God and the
only people who have obeyed the
commandments of God ; but they do
not think that, of all the children of
God, they are the only recipients of
his blessings.
God has revealed himself at
various times and in various ways to
many people. The heathen have
had communication from him. All
the light that exists ; all the truths
that are taught and all the correct
principles and knowledge that have
been communicated and existed
among the children of men, have
come from G od ; he is the author of all.
Socrates, Plato, Confucius, the
heathen philosophers who knew
nothing about Jesus Christ and the
plan of salvation, received important
truths from hini, and so did many
other people to a greater or less
extent, according to their abilites in
improving upon the knowledge
communicated to them. But the
difficulty has been concerning these
matters that mankind have not recog-
nized God in all this. A man has
a dream. It is most wonderfully
fulfilled. He has a presentiment;
his presentiment is fulfilled, and he
relates it to his friends as a most
remarkable thing. A man has a
truth communicated to him after
study and research. He communi-
cates it to his friends as a wonderful
4iscovery. Does he acknowledge
I God in it 1 Sometimes ; but in
I many instances he does not acknow-
ledge God ; but, on the contrary, he
thinks it is the product of his own
thought, of his own mind. Tf it be
a dream or some remarkable mani-
festation that partakes of the super-
natural, instead of giving God the
glory and praising (?od for having
made the communication, some other
principle is glorified or some other-
thing is talked about, the remark-
able character of it is dwelt upoa
without the person thinking that
God has anything to do with it.
Well, there is, as 1 have said, no-
human being but that has, at some
time or other, had communication
from the Almighty Father. Some
have recognized God and have given
the glory to him for it ; others have
hot done so. The remarkable dis-
coveries that are being made in the
world of science ; in fact, all the
remarkable discoveries that have
been made from time to time are
produced by the operations of an
unseeti influence upon the mind of
the children of men. For instance,
it has frequently happened in astro-
nomy and other branches of science
that when an important discovery
has been made two or three men
about the same time widely
separated from each other have
received the communication ; and
disputes have arisen as to which
of them was entitled to the credit.
This was the case as to the applica-
tion of steam and the principles of
telegraphy and also many discoveries
in astronomy and other sciences^
Disputes have arisen in various
nations upon these points ; whereas
the truth is that God is the Author;
it is God that moved upon the minds
of those individuals. It was God
that inspired them to do as they
did ; it was he who led on from step
to step until they acliieved the
^ ♦-,
re
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
results which have made them
famous, and sometimes quite unex-
pectedly to themselves.
.What is this which has led these
famous men in the path of dis-
covery ] The Latter-diay Saints call
it the spirit of revelation ; the spirit
of revelation resting down upon the
children of men. Some men possess
it to a greater extent than others.
Some have the gift in one direction
and they are capable of receiving
communication from God in a direc-
tion that others are not, their minds
are better prepared to receive reve-
lation upon a given subject, than are
the minds of others. Some will
receive great moral truths, and
these men differ in their organisms ;
but the light they receive all comes
from our heavenly Father; it is he
who gives the inspiration. And so
man has progressed from one degree
.of knowledge to another, from the
rude canoe of the Indian, with which
he navigates the stream, to those
mighty steam ships whose keels
plough every sea and circumnavigate
the globe.
Now, in. what respect do the
Latter-day Saints differ from the
rest of mankind in relation to these
matters 1 In this : We acknowledge
God as supreme, the fountain of all
knowledge, the fountain of all power,
the fountain of all intelligence, the
fountain of everything that is good.
Who are men 1 The creatures of his
workmanship, if you please, his
descendants, his own children begot-
ten by him, descended by lineal
descent from the God we worship.
The same being whom we worship
is our God, is our Creator, is our
Pather. When I worship him I
worship him as my Father. That
which I possess, if there be anything
godlike in it, I attribute it to him,
as having come from him by lineal
descent. Every aspiration, every
noble thought, every pure desire,
everything that is good and htijy
and pure, elevating, ennobling ^ki
godlike comes from our Father, the
God of the universe, the Father.bf
all the children of men. In him we
move, in him we have our being.
He can extinguish life ; he can create
life ; he can perpetuate life. There
is no power that human beings can
conceive of which he does not possess.
The light that now shines comes
from him. The revelation we may
get, imperfect at times because of
our fallen condition and because of
our failure to comprehend the
nature of it, comes from (lod. The
Latter-day Saints glorify him for
it. If there is anything good or
great or noble, if there is anything
to be admired it comes from God,
not man. Man is but the medium,
but the instrument, is but the con-
duit through which it flows. God
is to be worshipped ; God is to be
adored ; God is to be glorified, and
he will be. And when we are saved,
when we are delivered from death,
hell and the grave, we will glorijfy
God, not man. Man will receive no
glory ; it will be the eternal Father,
through Jesus Christ, who will
receive it all.
This is the position occupied by
the Latter-day Saints. We believe
in revelation. It may come dim ;
it may come indistinct, it may come
sometimes with a degree of vague-
ness which we do not like. Why 1
Because of our imperfection ; because
we are not prepared to receive it as
it comes in its purity; in its fullness
from God. He Is not to blame for
this. It is our duty though to
contend for tiiore faith, for greater
power, for cleater i*evelations, for
better understanding concerning his
great truths as he communicates
them to us. That is our duty ; that
is the object of our lives as Latter-
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, £TC.
77.
daj Saints — to live so near unto him
that nothing can happen to us but
that we will be prepared for it before-
hand. And I know many, many
Latter-day Saints who are in this
condition, who do live so that there
is nothing of any importance that
can occur for which they are not
prepared, and the mind and will of
God is made known to them, and
they walk according to it,' and seek
earnestly and humbly to have it
revealed to them ; and in taking any
important step they seek to know
the will of God concerning it. Are
they perfect? Far from it. They
are mortal, full of weaknesses, and
nobody is better aware of the char-
acter of eartiily weaknesses than the
man or woman who thus* lives.
It is the duty of all to live in this
manner, and if the inhabitants of
the earth could comprehend it as
they should do they would seek to
know the mind and will of God con-
cerning themselves. But what is
the spirit of the world to-day ] Let
a preacher in the world deliver a
fine discourse and who thinks about
giving God the glory for it ? Who
thinks of the Holy Ghost under such
circumstances 1 God is removed far
from them, he does not exist in their
thoughts, the preachers who attempt
to preach Christ and him crucified,
thep are glorified. Who gives glory
to. God for Henry Ward Beecher^s
discourses 1 Who gives glory for
Dr. Fotheringham*s or Mr. Talmage's
or any of the popular preachers of
to-day 1 Do men glorify God for
Spurgeon's 1 No, he himself is glori-
fied. Beech er himself is glorified;
and Fotheringham is glorified. Is
God glorified? No, He is not
thought about. Morse discovered
the. principle of telegraphy. Who
gave the' glory to God 1 I was in
the hall of the . House of Kepre-
sentatives^ when a grand meeting
was held. What fori To glorify
Morse, the discoverer of that great
principle and who practically api)lied
it and made it useful. Now, I do
not mean to say that there are none
who have God in their thoughts. I
am speaking now of the general
feeling that prevails, of the general
course that is taken. Inventions,
no matter how grand they
may be, are not attributed to
the Father of them all, the Creator
and Fountain of all knowledge. But
man, whom lie has chosen to be his
instrument, he has blessed with
knowledge concerning all these
things, as the result of his earnest
study and his untiring efforts to ob-
tain knowledge. The Being who
does this is very seldom thought
about by man.
Latter-day Saints, is this the
course for us to take? Shall we
glorify the creature at the expense
of the Creator ] As a people, I be-
lieve we are tolerably free from this.
But we have to make a degree of
progress much greater than we have
in these things. We have got to
seek after God with an earnestness,
a fervor and devotion that we at the
present time cannot comprehend.
It is our duty as Latter day Saints to
' seek for knowledge. W ill God bestow
it upon us if we do not seek for it t
He may in his condescension at
times do this. Brother Rich said
this morning that he believed some
people were too lazy to think. It
is a truth plainly expressed. There
are too many too lazy or too indif-
ferent — it may be indifference and
not laziness in every instance, to
think, to feel after, to seek for and
receive the blessing of God, although
they make the profession of being
Latter-day Saints.
Now, I do not think a man's re-
ligion amounts to anything if he
only makes a profession of it and
78
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
does not practise it. I would rather
Iiave an intelligent heathen, if he is
honest and determined to do the
best he can, living up to the light he
hafi, than a Latter day Saint who is
careless and indiflferent, who does
not seek to enjoy the spirit of his
religion.
I am in hopes that after awhile
we will begin to realize as we never
have yet, that there are practical
"duties resting on us Latter-day
Saints ; that there is something more
than being members of the Church
required of us. How is it with a
great many 1 Why, every evil
thought, every wrong speech that
comes in their hearts, either to think
or to utter, they entertain and ex-
press, and then take credit to them-
selves for not being hypocrites. Is
not this great folly ? Men and
women tliink evil thoughts, they
give place to angry feelings ; and
they think it a meritorious act, and
Eride themselves upon their conduct
ecause tliey give them utterance
instead of quenching them ! Is not
this extraordinary 1 Lacerate the
feehngs of their brethren and sisters
jnd friends, because they think they
would be hypocrites if they did not
utter their evil thoughts, however
unfounded or repulsive they might
be ! What right have I to do this 1
If my heart is wicked does that
justify me in giving utterances to its
foul conceptions 1 Certainly not.
IfADiy heart were such that I could
not think good thoughts nor enter-
tain good feelings ; if I were posses-
sed of anger and could not contain
myself, than it were better for me to
sew up my mouth and stop my
utterance. It is no merit in a man
or woman because he or she thinks
an| evil thought or indulges in an
angry spirit to give utterance to it ;
and they are not hypocrites because
they do not do it either. It is not
hypocrisy to quench the evil thoughts
that arise in our minds. Our hearts
are evil in consequence of the fall.
As the prophet Jeremiah says : "The
heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked : who can
know it 1" There are a great many
things that are conceived in our
hearts that it would be well for us
to stifle before they received shape.
What is frequently the result of
these evil conceptions'? Innocent
people suffer wrongfully ; injury is
done; slanders are circulated; while
those who start them justify them-
selves, because forsooth they con-
cerned them. Just as well might
the counterfeiter, the bogus-maker,
say that because he makes a bogus
bill he has the right to circulate it.
There is not any of the Spirit of God
connected with such conduct.
It is my duty and your duty to
think pure thoughts, to have holy
desires, to be charitable, to be kind,
to be long suffering, to be full of
love, and not any of those evil influ-
ences. Why, the devil would have
no power on the earth if it were not
for some people who allow him to
use their tabernacles. I have often
thought of this valley when we first
came here. There were a few
Indians ; but who witnessed the
devil or his power here 1 If there
were no wicked men nor women here
how could the devil manifest his
power here 1 Who heard tattling 1 «
Who heard backbiting 1 Who heard
of litigation ] Who heard of fight-
ing ? Such things were never heard
of. But no sooner did men come
and the adversary obtain power over
them, than all the evils we now wit-
ness throughout this land and in
this city, which grieves us so, began
to manifest themselves. And the
more there are who wiU yield to the
influences of the evil one, the more
there are who will be guided by
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE, ETC.
79
him, and tlie worse the conditious
become. There are those who would
have here gambling houses and
liquor saloons and houses of ill-fame
and other deplorable evils which
Abound in the earth. Why ]
Because they are willing to yield
themselves to the devil, I speak it
plainly, it is the truth. If such
people who practice these and kin-
dred evils would not lend themselves
to the devil he would have no power
here. Wiiat is our duty 1 It is not
to lend ourselves in any particular
to the devil, but it is to obey God ;
to let the fruits of righteousness be
manifested in our lives. If we are
Latter-day Saints, let us live up to
the profession and be that in truth
and in deed, and not think that we
have no labor to perform in the
controling of our thoughts and our
evil desires ; neither to allow our-
selves to imagine that because we
have become members of the Church
God will do it all without any efforts
tm our part.
ThjBre is a work devolving upon
every son and daughter of Adam ;
there is a fight that we have to fight
against — the evils of our own natures,
for the heart of man is deceitful and
desperately wicked. The natural
man is at emnity with Christ and
with God ; and unless he seeks to
conquer his nature by bringing it
into subjection to the mind of God,
he is not a son, or she is not a
daughter of God. This is the labor
that devolves upon us. This is why
we meet together at conference ; it
is to impress upon the people the
character and the magnitude of this
work that rests upon each indivi-
dual man and woman. As I have
said once before in this Tabernacle,
we may be heralded through the
earth as famous ; but unless we con-
quer ourselves it is in vain that our
names are known and that our deeds
resound through the earth. I care
not how famous a man in this Church
may be — he may be an apostle, he
may be a high priest, a bishop, or
hold any other important oflSce or
position ; but unless that man con-
quers himself and carries on the
work within himself of self-improve-
ment, and brings himself and all
there is within him in subjection
to the mind and will of God, I tell
you his fame is as empty as the
sound of a trumpet when it passes
away. We hear it ; it strikes the
ear, but it presently dies away, and
that is the end of it. So it is with
fame of this character. Therefore I
say to you that that which is
applicable to the individual
is applicable to us as a
people. Our fame may go forth
for great works and mighty things
that we have done ; but unless we
ourselves bring forth the fruits of
righteousness in our lives ; unless
we conquer our evil passions, our
evil habits, our evil inclinations, our
evil desires, and bring them under
complete subjection to the Spirit of
God our labor is comparatively pro-
fitless, for that is the object of
preaching the Gospel to us.
I would like to have the power to
impress upon your minds the import-
ance of this great truth. There is
nothing so important to me as an
individual, as my own salvation.
This is the most important thing to
me that pan be — that I myself shall
be saved ; that I myself shall so
live as to be counted worthy by the
Almighty to receive an exaltation in
his kingdom. This is of the utmost
importance to me individually. As
Brother Eich said, if all the rest did
certain things, and he did not, he
could not receive tlie blessing, the
reward of such works ; or if he did,
^nd all the others did not, they
could not have the blessing. That
80
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
is a great truth ; and it should be
impressed upon us.
. You may think it a grand thing
for men to go on missions. I re-
member the time, and probably the
feeling still exists — I hope it does —
when it was deemed a great honor
for a man to go upon a mission,
especially a foreign mission. It is
right that we should value these
labors. It is a great thing to preside
as a bishop or president of a stake,
or to act in the calling of an apostle.
All these things are great in and of
themselves, and they reflect honor
upon those who bear these offices,
and especially when they seek to
magnify them. But after all, the
great labor, the most honorable labor
that any person can perform, is to
do that which I have attempted to
describe to you — to improve our-
selves ; to be Latter-day Saints in
deed and in truth, to live our holy
religion. When we arise in the
morning, to examine ourselves, to
see if there is anything that is in .
opposition to the mind and will of
God within ourselves ; and through
the day to pursue the same course '
of self-examination. And at night
before we retire to rest, to bow our- '
selves before our Father and God in
secret, and pour* out our souls in
prayer before him, supplicating him
to show unto us wherein we have
done wrong during the day, wherein '
we have come short in thought,
word and deed ; and then repent of
the same before we lie down to rest,
and to obtain from him a forgiveness
of our sins. And. then, going on
day after day, week after week, and
year after year until the end shall
come. If we do this, the promises
of God are sure, and they cannot
fail.
That it may be our happy lot to
attain to an exaltation with our
Father, is my prayer, in the name
of Jesus. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
DELIVERED IN THE SALT LAKE ASSEMBLY HALL, SUNDAY AFTERNOON,
APRIL 25th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.) '.
INStTFTICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST— EXTENT AND APPLICATION *
OF THE ATONEMENT-^NECESSITY ^¥ DIVINE AUTHORITY TO ENABLE
MAN TO ADMINISTER THE GOSPEL— JOSEPH SMITH CALLED OF GOD. '
The Latter-day Saints aie often
accused by the people in the Chris-
tian world of being very much
deluded. Our religion is counted, a '
delusion arid a snare. I was think- ^
ing, however, during the meeting*
INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC.
81
this afternoon about the great num-
ber ol Christian preachers who to-
day ai'e standing up in various parts
of the world informing th6 people
who listen to them that simple befief
on the Lord Jesus, who died on
Calvary, is all that is necessary to
save them and exalt them in the
presence of God the Father. And
it seems to me that if there is one
delusion more pernicious than
another it is that very doctrine,
which seems to be a fundamental
principle of all the various Christian
sects. You will find, go where you
will in the Christian world and lis-
ten to any of the great preachers
of the day, that this is the common
topic of discourse. Jesus Christ is
preached — which is quite right, I
am very glad that he is — as the
Savior of the world. So we testify
as Latterday Saints. In connection,
however, with this great truth which
is proclaimed to the inhabitants of
the earth by men professing to be
sent of God, is preached the great
error that mere belief in the work
which Jesus Christ wrought out is
sufficient for the salvation of the
people. The inhabitants of the
earth are informed that it is not by
any works of righteousness which
they may perform that they can
gain any favor whatever in the sight
of God, but it is the lighteouness
of Christ alone which is acceptable
to the Father and which they can
gain the benefit of if they simply
believe in him.
When we search the Scriptures
and read the sayings of Jesus Christ,
and of his servants whom he sent
forth to preach the Gospel, we do
not find any such statement as this.
We find, it is true, that the apostles
of the Lord Jesus preached Christ
and him crucified to the world
wherever they had an opportunity;
they directed the attention of the
No. 6.
people, Jew and Grentile, wherever
they went, to Jesus of Nazareth
who was slain on Calvary as the
Redeemer of the world, and faith in
him was declared to be absolutely
necessary. But we do not find that
in proclaiming faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ to that generation they
informed the people that a mere
belief in Christ was all that was
needful ; we find that, in addition to
teaching the principle of faith in
God and in his Son Jesus Christ,
they taught the people it was neces-
sary to observe certain rules, and
commandments, to obey certain
forms and ordinances, to comply
with certain conditions that they
might obtain the benefit of the
shedding of Christ's blood. We find
by searching the New Testament,
which contains some of the teach-
ings of the apostles and some of
their letters to the churches, that
the doctrine was held forth by them
that " the blood of Christ cleanseth*
us from all sin." We find that this
applied, as they taught it, not only
to what is called original sin, but
also to actual sin. The sin which
our first parents committed in the
Garden of Eden is called original
sin ; and the sins committed indivi-
dually by the inhabitants of the
earth, are called actual sin, for ** all
have sinned and come short of the
^lory of God." The apostles sent
torth to preach the Gospel by our
Savior himself, taught the people
that through the shedding of
Christ's blood remission of sin
might come to all and that mankind
might be redeemed from sin, original
and actual. But we , fiiud this
distinction in their teaching in
regard to original sin, s^d thjei^
teaching in regard^ to individual sin|
that the blood of Christ redeems
mankind from the effects of the fall
and will. eventually bring upall who
Vol. XXI.
jouBNix o¥ Discoasaits.
died in Adam — for "as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be
raade alive,"— but that while people
had nothing whatever to do with
. the sin which Adam committed and
therefore have notliing whatever to
do with the work of atonement for
that sin, yet for their own sins there
is some action required on their part
that they may obtain redemption
therefrom, inasmuch as the blood of
Christ was shed for original sin
unconditionallj-, but for the remis-
sion of actual sin conditionally.
God, when he placed our first
parents in the Garden of Eden put
before them a certain tree, the fruit
of which he said " they should not
partake of, if they did they should
surely die." They partook of that
tree in disobedience to the divine
commandment, and planted the
seeds of death in their bodies, and
that death has passed upon all their
posterity. " It is appointed unto men
once to die." This act of our first
g rents introduced death into the
)rid. Death came by sin, and
d,eath has passed upon all the pos-
terity of Adam and Eve. Jesus
ctake in the meridian of time as
^'.tbfi Lamb of God which taketh
a^ly the sin of the world," to bring
A^nkind up from the effects of the
transgression of our first parents.
Bence he ia called " the Second
Adam," and we are tpld that as in
&f(t first Adam all die, even so in
Christ, the second AdarQ, shall all
M rai^de alire agun. And he him-
8(^ proclaimed that the time should
M>j^ "in the which all tljat are
m the graves shall hear the vqice
St ihe' Son of Gpa'and shall conie
ffl/rthjt^e}'that'haved6negbo^,nnto
£IIq resturection of life; and they
fliai have don$ evil unto the resur-
iljctibn of dan^ati^," pr in, the
irords of the ii^t^nd translaUbn,
"tlie^thit have done good in the
resurrection of the just, and they
that have done evil in the lesur-
rection of the uujust." It is through
the transgression of Adam that we
have to sufier what is called the
temporal death. Through that
transgression our spirits have become
separated from our bodies ; oiir
immortal spirits held by these
mortal tabernacles must be talien
out, and our bodies must return to
the ground and crumble into dust ;
but by the atonement wrought out
by the Lord Jesus Christ the time
is to come when all who lived in
the body shall live in the body
again. Christ was raised from the
dead and became " the first fruits
of them that slept ;"' afterwards they
that are Christ's at his coming will
be brought forth. This is the first
resurrection. " Blessed and holy,"
says the Apostle John in his vision,
" are they that hath part in the
first resurrection ;on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall
be priests of God and of his Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand
years." After that John saw, that
" the se^ gave' up the dead which
were in it ; and death and hell
delivered up the' dead which were
in them' and they wei^ judged
every man according to his vporks."
The atonement wrought out by
the Lord Jesus Christ for original
sin will apt)ly just as fat as the
effects of the 6in ate felt. As all
the posterity of Adatti died through
that ain, even so all the posterity of
Adam will, be raised up a^^in
through the atonenieiit.' "But
I ^wn order " saya
I ist the .fiWt friiits ;
I hat ai^ Chriat'a
I id theii a'lter the
1 ave i»asBea away,
I ead.as.Jpliii ^^
^ 'orth' ind judgM
( ig to the deeds
INSUFFICIENCY OF MERB BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC.
83
done in the flesh. All must give an
account unto thegreat eternal Father.
We are responsihle for the acts done
in the flesh , for like as it was in the
•case of our flrst parents, good and
evil, truth and error, are placed
before us, and every individual is
left free to choose the good and refuse
the evil, or to choose the evil, and
refuse the good, as he pleases. Both
are set before us and, if we yield to
either, it will lead us in either
direction. There is, however, a spirit
in man, born in him, which comes
from God, the fountain of light and
truth. This light is planted in the
breast of every man and every
woman who breathes the breath of
life. It is the true light that lighteth
every man that cometh into the
world, and if people would listen to
the whispering of that still small
voice, be led by that natural light
and natural inspiration, they would
be led up to God. By this natural
light, by this general inspiration, if
people would listen to its whisper-
ings, and be guided thereby, they
would be led up to the fountain of
light. " Every good gift," says the
Apostle James, " and every perfect
gill is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights in whom
there is no variableness neither
shadow of tumitig." But on the
other hand there must be, as the
Book of Mormon says, ** an opposi-
tion in all things,'' and there is a
spirit of evil, a spirit of darkness,
which draws downward to death,
and a spirit of light which leads
upward to life; the one leads to
Satan and his works, the other to
Ood and to righteoujsness. But the
itihabitants of the earth generally
have been more prone to listen to
the inspiration of the spirit of dark-
ness as did our first parents, than to
listen to the still small voice of light
^d life in their souls.
All people must give an account
of the deeds done in the body accord-
ing to the measure of light they
have received, and the opportunities
they have had of obtaining that
light, while they dwelt in the flesh.
Some people have lived on the earth
when God has sent his servants
inspired of him to make plain his
ways, while others have tabernacled
in the flesh when no inspired voice
was heard, when no communication
was open between the heavens and
the earth. Anid he who is just, who
is the embodiment of the eternal
principles of justice, will deal out to
all according to their light and
accftrding to the opportunities they
have had of obtaining that light, but
all must be judged, all must appear
before the judgment seat of Christ
and give an account for their indivi-
dual works.
Now, we will take the case of an
individual who has broken all the
laws of God and perhaps all the
laws of man, and finally has shed
the blood of a fellow-creature, and
is condemned by the laws of man
to die ; he is, in fact, unfit to live^
unfit to associate with mortal beings,
therefore, they must needs thrust
him out of the world that he may
mingle with immortal beings.
Where do they send him tol A
minister will come and preach to
him, and tell him that all he has to
do is to cast his soul on Jesus ; that
he has just to believe that Christ
died for him, and the righteousness
of the pure, immaculate, sinless,
Christ wul be grafted into that rot*
ten branch, so that he will have the
fruits of righteousness and peace.
That is according to the modem
Gospel. The man believes this, he
confesses Christ with his lips and
acknowledges him with his t6ngue,
I and straightway is strung up
I between the heavens and the earth.
£4
JOUBNAL OK DISC0XTRSE8.
and choked to death ; his spirit is
forced out of his body, and ushered
into the presence of the eternal
Father to stand before his spotless
throne, and is deemed fit to dwell
in the society of the pure and holy
ones on high. That is according to
the modern Gospel, but not accord-
ing to the ancient Gospel of Jesus
Christ, the everlasting Gospel which
says " no murderer hath eternal life
abiding in him."
But some one may ask, " Is there
no efficacy, for actual sin, in the
atonement wrought out by Jesus
Christ ? Is there no method by
which people can obtain a forgive-
ness of their individual sins T Yes,
there is a way, and that is the plan
of the true Gospel, but it does not
consist in mere belief in the right-
eousness of another ; mere belief in
the righteousness somebody else will
not make us any better ourselves.
What is to be done then 1 Here the
Gospel is very plain and simple,
when pointed out by one who
un^ierstands it. But "how shall
they call on him in whom they have
not believed 1 And how shall they
believe in him of whom they have
not heard, and how shall they hear
without a preacher, and how shall
they preach except they be sent f
It is men who are not sent who
preach the nonsense we hear in the
world. It is men who are not sent
who deceive mankind with their
strong delusions, and then turn
round and call the Latter-day Saints
deluded. If they were sent of God
they would not preach such non-
sense, they would not deceive man-
kind and thus become the cause of
so much sin and evil in the world.
For while people believe that at the
last moment, at the last gasp of their
existence, they may cast their souls
on Jesus, an^ by believing in his
virtue escape the penalty of their
sins, they will continue to sin on,,
like many of these false teachers
who revel in sin up to their very
eyes, and will die in their sins and
go down into the pit where they
must wait until they are released,
in the time and way of the Lord
The doctrine of belief without works
is a strong delusion. There is more
to do, according to the Gospel, than
merely to believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Belief in the Lord Jesus
Christ is necessary. That is the
foundation, it is the root of the
matter, but it is not all the matter,
" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved.*' Why!
Because if you have true faith in
Christ, if you really believe on him,
you will believe in his sayings and
keep his commandments. Hear
him : " If ye love me, keep my com-
mandments." " Not every one that
saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven : but he that
doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven." " Therefore, whoso-
ever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, I will liken him
unto a wise man which built his.
house upon a rock : And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that
house I and it fell not ; for it wa»
founded upon a rock. And every
one that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man which
built his house upon the sand : And
the rain descended, and the flooda
came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house ; and it fell ; and
great was the fall of it."
When Jesus Christ sent hi&
apostles unto all the world after he
had risen from the dead, he com-
manded them to '^ teach all nations^
baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost. Teaching them to*
INSUFFiaiENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC.
85'
observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you." They were to go
out and preach to all the world,
baptizing those that believed, and
then proceed to teach all things
whatsoever he had commanded
them. Christ taught his disciples
many principles while he tarried
with them in the flesh, and after he
had risen from the dead he con-
tinued his instructions from time to
time. He also told them that when
he went away the Comforter should
come to reveal unto them the things
of the Father and the Son, and to
guide them unto all truth ; for it is
only, by receiving truth and living
it that j)eople can be saved and
exalted. " Sanctify them through
thy truth," prayed the Savior, ** thy
word is truth." The Holy Ghost
the Comforter, was to come, there-
fore, to make plain the truth, and
to reveal things past, present, and to
come. It is necessary, however, to
have faith in Christ. Why ]
Because every blessing that flows
to the inhabitants of the earth from
God the eternal Father comes
through Jesus Christ. We must
first of all believe in God, then
believe in Jesus Christ, and if we
really do believe in God and in Jesus
Christ we will find out in ourselves
that we have broken the command
ments of God and of his Son Jesus
Christ, and the desire will enter our
hearts to turn away from sin. Thus
it is said " whosoever heareth these
sayings, and doeth them, I will
liken unto a wise man, which built
his house upon a rock." It is taught
by some that repentance is the first
principle of religion, but if a man
does not believe in God, will he pray
unto himl AVhat has a man tD
tepent of except the breaking of
the commandments of Godi And
how shall he feel anything to repent
of if he does not believe in God 1
It is necessary therefore to have
faith first, and then comes repent-
ance, a determination to forsake evil,
and this is what the ancient apostles
taught.
What next? We find that
wherever the apostles went, when-
ever they found a people who be-
lieved in Jesus and repented of their
sins they baptized them. By sprink-
ling a little water in their face ] Or
by making the sign of the cross
upon their foreheads'? No. They
were taken down into the water and
buried there in the likeness of
Christ's death and burial and raised
up in the likeness of his resurrection,
that henceforth, having " put off the
old man with his deeds" they might
walk in newness of life, observe his
laws and keep his commandments,
and follow his footsteps, for he "left
us an example, that we should fol-
low in his steps." Then the apostles
laid their hands upon those that
were baptized, and we read that
they received the Holy Ghost, the
Comforter, the spirit of truth, which
opened up a communication between
each individual soul and the fountain
of light and eternal truth, which
testified that they had been washed
clean from their sins. How washed ?
By water? Yes, and no. Water
does not wash away sin, but if peo-
ple desire remission of their actual
sins they must be baptized. Thus
it must be, ** to fulfil all righteous-
ness." Even Christ himselt had to
be baptized to fulfil that command-
ment, and if he had not obeyed it
there would have been no manifest-
ation of the Holy Ghost resting upon
him in the sign of a dove, and a
voice from heaven declaring, " This
is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased.". Christ left us this
example, and his apostles followed
in his footsteps, baptizing according
to the commandment for the remis-
M
JOUBNAL OF DISCOURSES.
sion of sins. John the Baptist also
taught this same doctrine when he
went out to preach in Judea, and
when the people came to him con-
fessing their sins he baptized
them in Jordan for the remission of
sins. " I indeed baptize you," says
John, " with water ; but one
mightier than I cometh, the latchet
of whose shoes I am not worthy to
loose ; he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire."
Baptism for the remission of sins !
"Why," says one "I thought the
blood of Christ redeemed us from
our sins." And so it does. Water
itself will not wash away guilt. If
a person has no faith in Christ, and
has not repented of his sins, baptism
will be of no avail. But baptism
properly administered by one who
has a right to administer in the
name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, will
avail. The person to be baptized
must go down into the water and
therein be buried for a remission of
sins, having repented, and having
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
in his atoning blood, for the blood
of Christ was shed " for the sins of
the whole world." But the " whole
world" will not receive the benefit
of the atonement unless they comply
with the conditions laid down,
namely: faith, repentance, and
baptism. They who do not receive
this ordinance cannot enter into the
presence of the Father, for " except
a man be born of water and of the
spirit, lie cannot enter into the king-
dom of God." So said Jesus. This
is a little different from the teach-
ings of modem divines, is it not?
Yes, but it is according to the teach-
ings of Christ and his apostles.
Now, then, in regard to the
administration of this ordinance.
Men must have a right to administer
before they do anything in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost I ask who has.
that right ? There are a great many,
ministers standing up in the various
chapels and churches to-day admin-
istering in the name of this holy
trinity. You can see men in the
Christian world stand up before a
congregation and sprinkle a little
water upon an unconscious babe, and
call it baptism, and actually do it in
the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost! Who sent themi
Who told them to do this sprinkling?
Did God the Father, or the Son, or
the Holy Ghost 1 No. Did any
person to whom God has spoken,
having authority from God to ordain,
appoint them to that ofiice 1 No.
Why ! Because for hundreds of
years communication with the
eternal world has been shut ofi*,
inasmuch as the people who profess
the Christian religion have not even
believed in the doctrine of present
communication with God. They
have been contented with the old
revelations contained in the book we
call the Bible, which contains a few
of the things that God revealed
hundreds of years ago. They do
not believe in having communication
with the heavens. How did they
get this authority, then] When
did a man ever get authority from
God to sprinkle and call it baptism^
or to baptize an infant in any form T
It is not to be found in the Bible.
" He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved," so Christ said. And
you will find that wherever the
apostles went, faith was the first
principle they taught. " If thou
believest with all thine heart thou
mayest," said Philip to the eunuch
who sought to be baptized. Baptism
without faith and repentance is
valueless, it is void ; and baptism
administered by one who has not the
right to attend to that ordinance in
INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC.
87
the name of the holy trinity is also
void. Supposing men were to come
to us with as groundless claims in
temporal things as they do in
spiritual. Supposing a man came
from Germany to this country and
professed to be a minister from the
German court. We would ask to
see his credentials, and if he had
been sent as an ambassador for that
people, he would be able to show his
authority. Supposing all that he
had to prove his right to represent
the German Empire was, he felt
called in his heart to do so. We
should consider him a fit subject for
a lunatic asylum. But there are
men adnainistering in these sacred
things (axi ministering in the name
of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost), ordinances
to which God never appointed them,
for they say there is no communica-
tion between them and God, nor
has there been among the inhab-
itants of the earth for hundreds and
hundreds of years. They say the
canon of scripture is full ; God talks
no more with .the inhabitants of the
earth. Where, tlien, do they get
the right to administer in the name
of the Lord ] I tell you as sure as
they do this they wUl be called to
account and held guilty of taking
the name of the Lord in vain. How
did the apostles of the Lord Jesus
Christ get the authority to baptize ]
Christ gave it to them. How did
Christ get the authority? Did he
assume it himself? No. Jesus
said, " I come not to do my own
will, but the will of the Father
which hath sent me." Tt was his
Father in heaven who called him to
be a high priest after the order of
Melchisedek, and Moses and Elias
who had previously held that priest-
hood, administered to him m the
mount. Thus Christ received that
holy priesthood, after the order of
Melchisedek, which embraced all
the higher powers and compre-
hended the lesser or Aaronic priest-
hood (for the greater includes the
less), and he ordained his apostles to
that priesthood. ^^As my Father hath
sent me," said he, " even so send 1
you." They obtained their ordina-
tion from Christ, and therefore had
a right to baptize and also to call
others as the Holy Ghost directed.
•* But," says one, "there are many
people who have felt called in their
hearts, they have had the spirit of
the Gospel. Have they not a right,
seeing they believe in Christ, to
administer in these ordinances?"
Certainly not, not a particle of right.
Let us look at Paul and his history,
related by himself, Saul, of Tarsus,
who went to persecute the Saints
and was smitten to the earth by the
light from the glorious presence of
the lately risen Jesus. He was led
blind into the city to which he carried
letters intended to be used in
the persecution and annoyance of
the Saints. Says Paul : " And one
Ananias came unto me and said.
Brother Saul, receive thy sight.
And the same hour I looked up
upon him. And he said the God of
our fathers hath chosen thee, that
thou shouldst know his will, and see
that Just One, and shouldst hear
the voice of his mouth. For thou
shalt be his witness unto all
men of what thou hast seen and
heard. And now why tarriest thou ?
Arise and be baptized and wash
away thy sins, calling on the name
of the Lord." Saul attended to the
ordinance and was baptized. ** Well,
now,*' says one, " surely Saul had a
right to preach the Gospel. He had
seen Jesus and heard his voice. A
miracle had been wrought upon him ,
and he was told that he should be a
witness unto all men." No, he had
not yet the right. The hands of the
88
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
servants of theLord had not yet been
laid upon him. But we read in the
thirteenth chapter of Acts, that
while certain prophets and teachers
were waiting before the Lord, " the
Holy Ghost said, separate me Barna-
bas and Saul for the work whereun-
to I have called them. And when
they had fasted and prayed and laid
their hands on them, they sent them
away." It is written, " No man
taketh this honor unto himself, but
he that is called of God as was
Aaron." Aaron was called by
Moses, M'ho received divine autho-
rity by direct communication from
God. Aaron, it appears, could talk
better than Moses, but Moses was
the man called to hold the keys of
the ministry. If any man desires
to act in the holy ministry he must
first be baptized for a remission of
his sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Ohost, otherwise he can-
not be a teacher unto others. And
even then, although he may have
had visions, although he may have
seen the Lord and had the glories of
heaven opened unto his view, though
the curtain that hides the future
may have rolled up before him like
a scroll, so that he could ^>aze into
the glories of the eternities, -all
this would give him no authority
whatever to administer in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost. He must be
called, he must be ordained, he
must receive the authority of the
holy priesthood.
Well, what condition has the
Christian world been in for centu-
ries ] Just the same in a great many
respects as the heathen world. The
people have been in the depths of
error. Darkness has covered the
earth and gross darkness the people.
" Stay yourselves and wonder," says
the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of the
latter times, " cry ye out and cry : I
they are drunken, but not with
wine ; they stagger, but not with
strong drink. For the Lord hath
poured out upon you the spirit of
deep sleep, and hath closed your
eyes : the prophets and your rulers
the seers hath he covered." And
the Lord said that in that very time,
when the people should be in this
condition, when they should draw
near unto him with their mouth,
and honor him with their lips, while
their hearts were far from him, " I
will proceed to do a marvelous work
among the people, even a marvelous
work and a wonder : for the wisdom
of the wise men shall perish, and the
understanding of their prudent men
shall be hid. * * * ♦
And in that day shall the deaf hear
the words of the book, and the eyes
of the blind shall see out of obscurity,
and out of dorkness. The meek
also shall increase their joy in
the Lord, and the poor among men
shall rejoice in the Holy One of
Israel." Just as the prophet pre-
dicted so it has been in the age in
' which we live. Out of darkness has
! come forth light. God, from his
I holy dwellinc: place, looked down
j upon the world and beheld that all
j had gone astray, that none were
doing good, no not one. They were
divided and contentious, jangling
and quarrelling about creeds. Men
were crying lo ! here, and lo ! there;
in fact the blind were leading the
blind and both were falling into the
ditch together. The Lord beheld
this from his holy habitation and
again restored the truth from the
eternal world. He sent his holy
angels and revealed anew the ever-
lasting Gospel. Truth came out of
the earth, and righteousness looked
down from heaven and both joined
in one, gave joy to the meek, and
became a power among men in the
earth.
INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST, ETC.
89
God called Joseph Smith to the
great work of ushering in the last
dispensation. He made manifest to
him the truth, sent angels to him,
enlightened his mind and gave him
the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost, and as Moses and Elias came
to Christ in the Mount, so also did
Peter, James and John ordain Jo-
seph Smith to the Melchiseclek
priesthood. The authority of that
priesthood is here now, and the ser-
vants of God who are called by that
authority go forth and preach the
Gospel to every creature, for a
witness unto all nations, declaring
that the end is near, and that the
second advent of the Lord is close
at hand. People are called upon
everywhere to repent of their sins ;
to be baptized for the remission of
sins, and to receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost by the laying on ot
hands, and whenever people have
received the Gospel and obeyed its
ordinances his blessings have come
to them. The Holy Ghost, the
Comforter, which speaks direct to
their souls, has borne witness that
their sins are remitted, that they are
raised to a newness of life, and that
if faithful unto the end they will be
received back into the presence of the
Father, to dwell in his society and
glory. This is a privilege offered to
all the inhabitants of the earth who
will believe in this Gospel of the
latter-days. Yet it is no new thing.
It is the old Gospel restored. Not
a doctiine, not a principle, not a
precept therein, but what m:iy be
found in the old Scriptures. And
this is what people call delusion !
The Gospel came to us in the various
nations of the earth, some belonging
to the various religious sects, and
some belonging to no sect whatever,
and when we received and obeyed it
a power took hold of us superior to
anything we have ever experienced
before, and witnessed to us in an
unmistakeable manner the truth of
this work. It is not a phantom.
It is not something imaginary, but
it is a solemn fact, as certain as the
fact of our existence. No one can
reason us out of it, or force us out
of it. Whyl Because it is stamped
upon our spiritual nature, it is a
part of our veiy being. God Al-
mighty has revealed this truth to
our souls, and we know it as we
know we live. That is why we are
here.
Now, our business is to live this
religion, to learn further of the ways
of God, and to do his will in all
things. The matters I have been
speaking of are only the A B C of
the Gospel. We must learu " line
upon line and precept upon precept,"
and continue to grow and increase
in a knowledge of the truth, living
by ** ei'eri/ word that proceodeth out
of the iriouth of God." Now I
would afek whether this is the case 1
Having been redeemed, or having
had our individual transgressions
remitted, are we walking in the
straight and narrow way 'i Are we
learning of God ] Are we seeking
to understand more distinctly and
clearly the things that pertain to
our salvation 1 Are we performing
the task allotted to us ] For we are
living in an important day. The
day of the second coming of the
Savior is nigh at hand, and when he
comes shall we be found, as in the
parable, among the wise or among
the foolish virgins 1 How is it with
us this afternoon 1 Have we oil in
our lamps to guide us on our path 1
There is no need for us to do any-
thing in the dark. We should be
the children of the light. We are
accused of following our leaders in
'* blind obedience.*' There is no
90
JOUSNAL OF DJSOOUBSSS.
such thing in the Gospel. We have
in our midst those who give us the
word of the Lord in a church capa-
city, " for the perfecting of the
Saints, for the work of the ministry
and for the edifying of the body of
Christ," but it is our privilege to
have the same light. " The mani-
festations of the spirit are given to
every one to profit withal." The
Holy Ghost is conferred upon each
individual and it is our privilege to
see our way. When the true Saints
hear the word 6f life, there is an
echo within their hearts and a spirit
which testifies to its truthfulness.
When the word comes through our
inspired leaders it proceeds from the
spirit of light which guides us unto
ail truth. It is the privilege of
every Saint to have this light for
themselves, the light of God, the
light of truth, " the light that is in
all things and through all things
and round about all things, and is
the law by which all things are gov-
erned." It is our privilege to be in
possession of that faith that we may
ask and receive, that we may seek and
find, that we may knock and have
the door opened unto us. Well, are
we doing this ] If so, then we re-
joice in our religion. The world
compared therewith is as nothing ;
all things are as dross compared
with the excellency of the knov/-
ledge of Christ. If we are living
our religion it is everything with us
*' Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you."
Earthly things perish with the using
and when we pass away we must
leave them behind ^ but we will carry
with us the Gospel, and every one
of its truths we have made our own.
We will carry with us the holy
priesthood and its gifts and powers,
if we have been faithful, and will
be permitted to mingle with the
spirits of just men made perfect,
and rejoice in the hope of a glorious
resurrection.
Now let us strive te walk in this
path that we may gain this great
glory. Let us attend to the duties
we are required to perform. There
is nothing in the G<>spel that is non-
essential. Every principle that has
been revealed unto us is necessary
for the salvation of man, for I tell
you before we are fit to dwell in the
presence of God and enjoy the ful-
ness of his glory we must become
like him. Latter-day Saints, the
ordinances of the Gospel will not
save you, they are only aids to sal-
vation. What, then, will save us ?
A knowledge of truth and the prac-
tice thereof^ nothing else. We must
learn the ways of God. We must
walk in his paths. We must be
Saints in very deed, and walk in the
footsteps of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, and then, by-and-by,
where he is we will be also. If we
turn our backs upon the truth we
will go down to death ; we will be
beaten with many stripes, we must
suffer the consequence of our guilt,
and after we have gone through the
depths of sufl'ering and sorrow iu
the due time of the Lord we may
get some kind of a salvation and
glory, but where God and Christ
are we cannot come, worlds without
end.
I would say to my friends who
are here this afternoon, that I know
this work is true. God Almighty
has made it known to me. I bear
this testimony to you, and I am
willing to meet it before the great
judgment seat. God has spoken,
from the heavens in this our day.
He has restored the Gospel of Christ
and the authority to preach it. It
will go forth to everjf nation, kin-
dred, tongue and people. The wise
and the prudent will not receive it,
EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
91
but " the poor among men shall re-
joice in the Holy One of Israel." This
work will go on to this end and pur-
pose. Zion will be built up, Jerusa-
lem will be redeemed, and the time
will come when Jesus, our Redeemer
shall descend in power and great
glory to reign upon the earth. I
bear my testimony that this is the
work of God, that he requires our
whole heart, and that we should
love our neighbors as ourselves. Let
us put away our follies and our
errors. Let us not drink into the
spirit of the world. Let us not pat-
tern after the wickedness that is-
creeping into our midst. Come out
from among them and be ye separate,
and touch not the unclean thing t
Be ye clean that bear the vessels of
the Lord. It is only by the practice
of righteousness and personal purity,
that we will be made fit to dwell in
the presence of the Lord. A doc-
trine contrary to this is the worst
kind of delusion.
May God help us to live the life
of a Saint and finally save us in his
kingdom, is my prayer, in the name^
of Jesus Christ. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDED JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Ephraim, Sanpete County, on Sunday Morning^
April 13th, 1879.
(Bepon'ted by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
effects of THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL— OFJECT OF THE GATHER-
ING — MANIFESTATIONS OF THE ANCIENTS TO JOSEPH SMITH — THE
GOSPEL TO DEPARTED SPIRITS — DUTIES OF THE SAINTS TO EACH
OTHER — THE KIND OF MEN WANTED TO GO ON MISSIONS.
I am pleased to have the opportu-
nity of meeting with the brethren
and sisters of this place, and of look-
ing at your faces ; and I would like
to hear more of the brethren speak
to you, but I know you want me to
talk awhile ; and as I have to leave
this afternoon I will occupy the time
now, and we will leave some of the
brethren to preach to you then. I
desire your faith and prayers, for
we are all dependent upon the Lord ;
^2
JOURNAL OJ'' 1)I.SU0UKSES.
none of us can do or say anything
that is good or useful or beneficial to
.society unless we are under the aid,
guidance and control of the Lord.
A man cannot speak aright unless
he speaks under the inspiration of
the Almighty ; and then the people
cannot hear aright, nor understand
aright unless they have a portion of
the same Spirit. And hence there
was something peculiar in the ex-
j)ression made by Jesus upon this
subject. He understood this princi-
ple very well, and in speaking on it,
says, "My sheep hear my voice, and
know me, and follow me ; but a
stranger they will not follow for
they know not the voice of a stran-
ger." An4 hence when the elders
were sent out to preach the Gospel
at first, they were told to go forth
and God would go with them, and
his Spirit would accompany them
and his angels should go before
them. The Lord had his sheep
scattered all over the face of the
earth ; and those sheep, Avhen they
heard the sound of the Gospel,
understood it ; there was something
that bore testimony to their hearts,
which they could not well describe,
and that something directed you,
my brethren and sisters, to those
who brought the everlasting Gospel ;
and when you heard it you said,
" That is true." And people might
say what they pleased, still you
believed and felt that it was true.
You experienced this feeling, but
you could hardly account for it.
This was the Spirit that Jesus
alluded to when he said, " If I be
lifted up from the earth, I will draw
all men unto me." He has his own
way of accomplishing that object,
and it takes time, a great deal of
time to *do that. But he was not
going to drive them nor force them,
nor in any way to coerce them ; but
he would present to their minds
such beautiful principles, such lovely
sentiments and develop such glorious
things among them, that they could
not but see and appreciate them, nor
could they find them anywhere else.
And then when those principles
were confirmed by the influence of
the holy priesthood through the
revelations of God to the people, it
produced the effect upon them that
we have seen. And hence you have
gathered here, left your homes in
the old world — the major part of
you from Scandinavia. I was one of
those brethren that started out in
an early day with this message of
glad tidings ; and Brother Erastus
Snow found his way to you folks,
while I went to others in a different
part of the world, and still others of
the brethren hunted up other sheep
in other places. What was the
result of our preaching ] We see it
here to-day ;. the result is that you
have been brought to a knowledge
of the truth, and through obedience
to the ordinances of the Lord, you
have received the Holy Spirit of
God, which has led you into the
truth, so that you, as did the
ancient Saints before you, sit in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You
no longer experience the kind of
uncertainty you used to be afilicted
with, but you have a certainty, an
abiding reality. You do not care to
die ; that is a matter of very little
importance. Jesus said to a woman
on a certain occasion, w^hom he had
asked to give him water to drink,
" Tf thou knewest the gift of God,
and who it is that sayeth to thee :
Give me to drink ; thou wouldst
have asked of him, and he would
have given thee living water." We
have drunk of that stream which
makes glad the city of our God.
And we want to realize and appreci-
ate the position we occupy before
God, and the great blessings and
EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
9a
privileges that are within our reach.
We have jnst commenced, as it were,
in the great work. We have receiv-
ed a great many precious principles,
and have seen and experienced a
great many things. But how was
it ] Simply through a glass, darkly ;
and we yet, in many instances, see
them through a glass, darkly — at
least very many of them ; and some-
times we can scarcely perceive the
difference between ourselves and the
rest of mankind, or between the
religion we have embraced and that
which other people have. If we
could only reflect upon it, there is as
much difference as there is between
Ught and darknessi But we do not
always comprehend these things, and
hence we labor under difficulties per-
taining to this matter ; because we
do not see, we do not comprehend
the position and relationship that
subsists between us and our God.
God is our Father ; we are his chil-
dren. He has brought us into his
covenant, and it is our privilege to
go on from wisdom to wisdom, from
intelligence to intelligence, from
understanding of one principle to
that of another, to go forward and
progress in the development of truth
until we can comprehend God. For
we are his children, we are his sons
and daughters, and he is our Father.
He has organized this Church in
order that we may be educated in
the principles of life, th&t we may
comprehend those principles that
exist in the bosom of God, that we
may be able te teach our children
correct' principles, in order that we
may be placed in a position whereby
we can be assimilated into the like-
ness of our heavenly Father, and
have a communication opened be-
tween angels and us, that we may
feel that we are of the family of God
and of the household of faith, and
that we can operate with them; and
that while part of his family who
have lived upon the earth and who
live again in another state of exist-
ence behind the vail, are operating
with him and with the angels of God
and with the whole of the Holy
Priesthood in developing his pur-
poses in the heavens, that we may
be prepared to operate with him on
the earth in carrying out his pur-
poses here ; that his people may be
preserved from the powers of dark-
ness, that the light, intelligence and
revelations of God may be upon us,
that we may comprehend our true
position to him, to each other, to
his Church and kingdom, and to the
living and the dead ; that we may
realize the position we occupy in
relation to all the various duties and
the responsibilities of life. And
then after realizing them, magnify
our callings, unite ourselves together
as the heart of one man under the
influences of the Spirit of eternal
truth as the family of God upon the
earth, and purge out everything
from us that is evil, corrupt, low
and degrading, and elevate our
minds and feelings to a higher stan-
dard of intelligence, morality and
obedience to his laws, and thus pre-
pare ourselves to carry out the
things of God in relation to the
earth whereon we dwell, and each
of us take a part In bringing to pass
his purposes here upon the earth,
not by any intelligence we may have ;
but by the wisdom and intelligence
that God shall impart from time to
time, until we shall progress in every
principle that is calculated to elevate
and ennoble mankind, until Anally
we shall see as we are seen and know
as we are known.
We are now gathered together to
Zion. For what? To build up Zion,
and to accomplish the purposes pf
the Lord pertaining to the human
faniiily upon the earth. And being
^4
JOURNAL OF DISCOUKSES.
gathered together we are organized
with apostles and prophets, with
presidents and their counselors, with
bishops and their counselors, with
elders, priests, teachers and deacons.
We are organized according to the
order of Grod, and these very princi-
ples that look small to us emanate
from God. We have seventies and
high priests, and all these men hold
certain positions which it is expected
of them that they will fulfill and
magnify, here in the flesh, in the
interests of truth and righteousness;
in the interests of the kingdom of
God and in the establishment of
correct principles among the Saints
of the Most High. We are here to
co-operate with God in the salvation
of the living, in the redemption of
the dead, in the blessings of our
ancestors, in the pouring out bles-
sings upon our children ; we are
here for the purpose of redeeming
and regenerating the earth on which
we live, and God has placed his
authority and his counsels here upon
the earth for that purpose, that men
may learn to do the will of God on
the earth as it is done in heaven.
This is the object of our existence ;
and it is for us to comprehend the
position.
For instance, Joseph Smith in the
first place Was set apart by the Al-
mighty according to the Counsels of
the gods in the eternal worlds, to
introduce the principles of life among
the people, of which the Gospel is
thie grand power and influence, and
through which salvation can extend
id all peoples, all nations, all kin-
dreds, all tongues and all worlds. It
is the principle that brings life and
immortality to light, and places us
ih communicatiou with God. God
affected him for that purpose, and
M fulfilled his mission and lived
honorably and died honorably. I
know of what I speak for I was very
weS acqnamted with him and was
with him a great deal during lot
life, and was with him when he died.
The principles which he had, placed
him in communication with the
Lord, and not only with the Lord,
but with the ancient apostles and
prophets ; such men, for instance,
as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah,
Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and
the Father, and the apostles that
lived on this continent as well as
those who lived on the Asiastic con-
tinent. He seemed to be as familiar
with these people as we are with one
another. Why? Because he had
to introduce a dispensation which
was called the dispensation of the
fulness of times, and it was known
as such by the ancient servants of
God. What is meant by the dispen-
sation of the fulness of times ? It is
a dispensation in which all other
dispensations are merged or concen-
trated. It embraces and embodies
all the other dispensations that have
existed upon the earth wherein God
communicated himself to the human
family. Did they have the Aaronic
priesthood in former times 1 Yes.
So have we. Did they have the
Mdchisedek priesthood in former
times! Yes. So have we. Did they
have a gathering dispensation in
former times, when Moses led
the children of Israel out of Egpy 1 1
Yes. So have we, just as it wa»5
predicted by the prophet Jeremiah :
** I will take you one of a city and
two of a family, and I will bring you
to Zion." And what will you do
with them when you get them there 1
" And I will give you pastors accord-
ing to mine heart, w^hich shall feed
you with knowledge and understand-
ing." We have that dispensation.
Moses, when he appeared to Joseph
Smith, committed to him "the keys
of the dispensation of the gathering of
Israel from the four quarters of the
EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
95
«arth and the restitution of the ten
tribes." Read it in the Doctrine
and Covenants : it is there plainly
written. Why are you here to day,
from Scandinavia and other parts of
the world? Because God has,
among other dispensations, restored
the dispensation of the gathering.
In relation to other matters. Was
there a time to transpire that Elijah
should come to " turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and the
hearts of the children to their
fathers f That Elias has come, and
has introduced . that dispensation ;
and in that are associated the very
things you . are engaged in and
which we havQ come to attend to,
namely the laj^lng of the foundation
stone of the Temple. Now, I will
ask, whoever thought of building
Temples until God revealed iti
Did youl If you did, I wish you
would tell us of it. And did you
know how to build themi No.
And did you know how to admini
«ter in them after they were built 1
No, you did not. We are indebted
to the Lord for these things. And
when Elijah the prophet appeared
to Joseph Smith he committed to
him the keys of this dispensation ;
ahd hence we* are at wore building
Temples ; but some of us hardly
know why. We go at it the satne
as we follow plowing, sowing, plant-
ing, reaping and §uch kinds of pur-
suits. There are other things behin d
that. There are ordinances associated
behind these things that go back
into eternity; and forwai^d unto
eternity ; that are the otfspring
of God, that are intended for the
weUbre, the happitiess and exaltation
of mankind ; for those who are living
attd those tliat are dead and for
those that will live hereafter, per-
tannng both to ourprogenitors ahd
6viT posterity. And tnat is pne* of
those keys that have been ttim^d.
Do you think that the elders who
brought the Gospel to you in far off
lands could have gathered you here
if they were not the bearers of the
Gospel of tfte Lord Jesus Christ, and
if this had not been a gathering
dispensation 1 I think not. As I
have said, the elders went to diifer-
ent parts of the earth, for we have
preached a great deal. I, myself,
have traveled hundreds of thousands
of miles preaching the Gospel ; and
without purse or scrip, trusting in
the Lord. Did he ever forsake me ]
Never, no never. I always was
provided for, for which I feel to
praise God my heavenly Father. I
was engaged in his work and he told
me that he would sustain me in it ;
he has been ttue to his trust, and if
I have not been true to mine I hope
he will forgive me and help me to
do better. But the Lord has been
true and faithful, and I have never
needed anything to eat or drink or
wear, and was never prevented for
want of means of traveling where I
pleased.
Well, to return. After you!
received the Gospel and the spirit of
the same, the great desire of your
hearts was to go to Zion. And in
order to accomplish this j6vl put
away your little savings and you
began to contrive how to dispose of
your little properties, and many ot
yoii were almost ready to sell your-*
selves to get to Zion. You could
not tell why you had such feelings,
but you did have them, and you
could not get rid of them until you
were brought here. You woiild not
have come here had it not beeU for
thiit, would youl I have no idea
that you would. When you were
told to build Temples, what made
you build them 1 Because you had
feceiveil the Gospel in your hearts,
associated with wnich was the mis-*
sion of Elijah which wa^ to turn the
96
JOURNAL OF OISC0UBSE8.
hearts of the children to the fathers,
and the hearts of the fathers to the
children. I wish I could tell it to
you as I understand some of these,
things, and I wish you could under-
stand those principles. Suffice it
to say that Satan has tried from the
beginning of the world to overturn
the works of God, and in some in-
stances he has apparently succeeded
admirably. He was the cause at one
time of all the people of the earth
being destroyed except a little seed
which was saved to propagate the
human species. Probably the devil
would laugh pretty heartily over
that, thinking that he had accom-
plished his purposes. However that
was not the end. It is true that
the judgments of God overtook
them ; it is true they were destroyed
by a flood in the flesh, and were
shut up in prison in the spirit ; but
it is also true that the same Savior
who is our Savior, when he was put
to death in the flesh, was quickened
by the spirit, and that he visited
those spirits in prison, opening up
the door of salvation to them that
they might be redeemed and come
forth and accomplish certain pur-
poses which God had designed ; and
hence .we find the Savior operating
among all that body of people that
the devil thought were destroyed,
but through this visitation were
placed within the reach of deliverance.
But has Satan prevailed to a great
extent ? He has. Has darkness
spread itself over the earth 1 Yes-
Have people wandered away from
God and forsaken him and his
laws? They have. But then the
Lord will be merciful towards them,
they not having received the light
that we have, hence he feels towards
them as a father feels towards his
children, being desirous to promote
their happiness as far as it lays in
his power ; and if he could not save
them while in the flesh, he undei-
stands certain eternal laws and prin-
ciples whereby they may hereafter
be redeemed. The Judge of all the
earth will do right. And while the
priesthood behind the vail are oper-
ating and preaching to the spirits
that are in prison that have been
there from the different ages, he calls
upon us to build temples that we
may administer for the bodies of
these people that have died without
the Gospel, that they may be judged
according to men in the flesh and
live after God in the spirit. At the
commencement of the dispensations
he sends out his elders generally to
all the world to preach the Gospel
to every creature. In this dispensa-
tion he not only does this ; but as
we live in a gathering dispensation,
he also gathers in the people, and
when they learn a little of his law,
there are many ordained to the
priesthood and sent out as messen-
gers, and we keep sending them out to
preach the Gospel and to gather in the
elect; and we send them to their
own people to tell them what God
has done and is doing. And they
keep coming atid going. And whom
do we send 1 If we send to England
we send Englishmen, or men who
can speak the English langnage ; if
to Scandinavia, we send Scandinavi-
ans : we send generally their own
people, accompanied with men of
experience, after the Gospel has been,
introduced to them. Why] That
they may go and teach their owii
people the way of life and salvation.
What then 1 They come back again
and build Temples. And what then?
They and their people from the vari-
ous nations of the earth go into these
Temples and administer for their
fathers, and grandfathers, theii:
uncles and aunts, their friends and
relatives, and thus reach back, back
into distant times to redeem and
KFFSCrra OF THE PRKA.C!Hma OF THIi OOSPBL, ETC.
#
save others. And who are these
men 1 Just such as the ancient pro-
phets talked about. They are
saviors upon Mount Zion, are they
not, saving and redeeming their
people — and those men who are
quarrying and hauling the rock, and
those who are engaged in laying up
these terrace and temple walls, and
those who are otherwise engaged in
making the necessary preparation
for the building of the temple are all
laboring in the same direction. The
Lord requires this work at our hands
in order to test us, to see whether
we will carry out his laws or not.
And when we build our temples and
he accepts of them, we will then
enter into them and administer in
in the name of God; and admini-
stering in them we become saviors
upon Mount Zion, as it is written,
"And saviors shall come up on
Mount Zion to judge the Mount of
Esau, and the kingdom shall be the
Lord's." ' Don't your Bible read so 1
The one I have does. Who shall
they save) These men become
saviors of their own nations ; they
administer and operate in their
interests and in the interests of
their fathers and their friends and
associates. Hetice this is one thing
we are engaged in, and is piirt of the
duipeosation of the fulness of times.
Then what does one of the pro-
phets say % " Beheld, I will send
you Elijah the Prophet before
the coming of the great and
dnadful day of the Lord." And
what shall he do ? " And he shall
tttm the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the hearts of the
children to the fatheirs, lest I come'
acvd smite the eiarth with a curse."
And what shall heiowel Saviors
shall come up on l|^ount Zion ; and
tli« kingdom shiiill be the Lord's.
Hi is writtefn, they shall all be taught
or €k>d, but the klhgdom shall bo'
No. 7.
the Lord's not man's. We do not
want to lean upon man nor put our
trust in man. While we are'
obedient to every ordinance of man:
that is proper and right, and which'
does not conflict with the law of God,'
while we are obedient to these
things we do not want to sell our
selves to the wicked and ungodly.
We do not care much about their
ways or their theories or ideas.
" The Lord," says one, "shall be our
judge, the Lord shall be our king,
the Lord shall be our law-giver and
he shall rule over us." And we,
under the inspiration of the
Almighty, will introduce the laws of
God that exist in the heavens and
upon the earth, and form a nucleus
of truth, of virtue and intelligence,
of law and order, of principles
pertaining to morals, to philosophy,
to politics, to religion and to every-
thing that is pure, exalting and
ennobling, and the kingdom will bo
the Lord's. And we will operate
together, we will try to frustrate the
works of darkness and the powers of
the adversary, to save the living and
redeem the dead, have our hearts
turned towards our fathers who
have lived before us whd^'
have b^)i igfi^br^t df th^ ptincaj^ldV
of life fltod sal^atioh whith God Hm
been pleased to confer upo%t lid^^
while the brethten behind' the vaiil'
are feeling after us who are th»it
childl^en. The Lord will turn H^
hearts of the fathers to the children^
and the heftrts of the children to ih^
fathers through Elias who wad t6*
come, which if not accomplished, H^
is written, "the earth would' W
smittiBn with a cun^."
Hence we are opetvtinj^ intk tiitt^
ancient paitriardhsv apostles^ <pK)phlMi<
and men of Goti wii6 Hvied o^ <lM
continent of A«ia'imd' Amerksiy atid'
we wiil gather t6gethet all thiiM»itl'
oneaceordiilg to the word of Gfd^^
Vol XXL
»8
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
gather bis Israel in one from the
four quarters of the earth and also
the ten tribes before we get through ;
and Judah will hsten to the words
of life, and the principles of eternal
truth will go forth and spread and
grow, " until the kingdoms of this
world become the kingdoms of our
God and his Christ ; and to him
every knee will bow and every
tongue confess that Christ is God to
the glory of God the Father." And
ve are here for that purpose. Do
you think we are going to fail ] Do
you think the Lord is going to back
down? I think not. Men may
combine against us ignorantly, for
many of them are very ignorant.
I do not cherish the least feeling of
wrath in my heart when I see
the courts, legislators or Congress
take steps inimical to us. They do
not know what they do, hence we
should feel charitably disposed to
those who seek our injury. David
prayed that God would send his
enemies to hell quickly. Jesus, when
he was being cinicified, suffering the
pain of a cruel death, said, ^' Father
forgive them, for they know not
what they do." I like that prayer
much better than the other one.
Father, -forgive them, for they know
not what they do. They are thy
c^hildren, though in the dark. Thou
hast enlightened our minds, for
which we feel thankful; but, Lord,
foi^ve them and lead them, if thou
<sanat, in the way of life. This is the
feeling we ought to have. We
ought to have it one towards another,
ai^d treat one another with kindness
iuid not get up hard fadings. Talk-
ing about people giving away to
passion and giving expression to
oacd words; such thii^gs do not
belong to the Gospel, to no part of
it ; they come from beneath. This
hits been pointed out and made very
plain to us. Every spirit, says one,
that tends to goiod is of God ; and
every spirit that tends to evil is of
the wicked one and comes from
beneath. I hear a man say some-
times " I hate such a man." Why I
do not know of a person that I
hate in the world. The command
is to love one another. When Jesus
was about to leave his disciples, the
burden of his prayer was, "Father,
I pray for these whom thou hast
given me ; thine they were, and
thou gavest them me. I pray for
them, Father, that they may be one,
even as 1, and thou art one, that
they may be one in us." What, a
sister or a brother, a citizen of the
kingdom of God, a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, one who has received perad-
venture of the ordinances of the
house of God, and who expects to
associate with the Saints of God,
quarrels with his brother about pea-
nuts and baby toys and then talk
about your honor being infringed
upon ! I tell you if you take care of
yourselves, your honor will take care
of itself and you need not be con-
cerned about it. Treat one another
aright. Have you sinned one
against another? then go and make
restitution. Have you defrauded
one another 1 go and make it right.
Have you spoken unkindly to your
brother or sister? then go and
acknowledge your wrong and ask to
be forgiven, promismg to do better in
the future. And then he or she
might say, on the other hand " Yes,
and I said so and so the other day,
won't you please forgive me f How-
much better and how much more in
keeping with the calling of a Saint
of God suqh a course would be thaa<
to harbor hard feelings in the heart.
And ycu parents, get your families
in the morning and evening add call
upon the Lord, and ask his blesatig
upon your families, youir flocks andL
EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL^ ETC.
99
herds, and upon everything that you
have, and do not be quarreling one
with another because you are scarce
of water. I tell you in the name of
the Lord God that if you will do
your duties, God will do his, and
furnish you with what water is
necessary. Try me " and prove me
herewith saith the Lord of Hosts, if
I will not open you the windows
t)f heaven and pour you out a bles-
sing that there shall not be room
enough to receive it." Husbands,
treat your wives right ; treat them
with kindness and with sympathy ;
try to make them comfortable, and
make their houses and surroundings
comfortable and do allyou can to make
them happy. And you wives, treat
your husbands right ; try to make
their homes a little heaven, and seek
earnestly that the blessings of the
Lord may abide in your dwellings.
And parents, treat your children
aright ; train them up in the fear of
the Lord, they are of more import-
ance to you than many things that
you give your attention to. And
you, children, obey your parents;
respect your fathers and mothers.
Your mothers have watched over
you, and your fathers are desirous
for your welfare, and their hearts
and feelings and affections are drawn
out towards you. Do not give them
pain by departing from correct
principles ; but walk in the paths of
life. And parents, and children,
husbands and wives and all people,
fear God and put your trust in him
and carry out the principles of your
holy religion which God has revealed
tons.
I would speak a few words of
praise of many of our brethren ; I
think it would apply to many of you
here. I have no disposition to find
lault, but I have a disposition to
speak kindly of many of my brethren
wd sisters in many of their, opera-
tions. In the tithing operations, for
instance, I think that during the last
year there has been paid some 50,000
dollars more than the year before.
This speaks well for the Latter-day
Saints ; not but what the Lord could
get along very well without these
things, but he wants to test his peo-
ple. This, however, proves that
there is an increase in the right
direction, and a proper feeling that
ought to exist among the Saints.
Hence, says the Lord, " Bring ye all
the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house,
and prove me now herewith, if I will
not open the windows of heaven, and
pour out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive
it." The Lord wants to prove his
people and he will have a tried and
proven people, and this is one of the
ways he has chosen to do it In
addition to this tithing there has
been expended on this Temple and
the Temple in Logan in the neigh-
bourhood of 250,000 dollars ; this is
very creditable, besides a very fair
tithing on the back of that. I think
I can speak good in the name of the
Lord to a people that will do that,
that is, if we will lay aside all evil
things. Let us keep doing good.
You have done about as much here
as they have done in Logan, and
they expect to get their Temple up
to the square this summer. But
then they did not have to make the
foundation you have had to make
here. They made some mistake in
fixing up the mountains here ; they
do not seem to be in a right shape ;
but then we can put them in a right
shape, you know. The scriptures
talk about the mountains being
thrown down. Well, you have done
considerable towards levelling this
down. God is pleased with you,
and everything is going on right, and
I speak this for your encouragement.
100
JOURNAL OF DISGOUBSES.
, I am pleased to see the sisters take
the part they do in their Eelief
Societies. Tliey are doing a good
work and their labors are a credit to
them. And then there are our
Yoang Men's and our Toung Ladies'
Mutual Improvement Associations ;
they are going on very welL And
then your educational interests are
doing pretty well Do I not so
understand you. Brother Petersen 1
^resident Canute Petersen — ^Yes,
5ir ; pretty welL] We do not want
outside folks to teach our children,
do we! I think not We do not
want them to teach us how to get
to heaven, do wel K we did, it
would be of no use, for they do not
know the way. Well, then, we do
not want them to tamper with the
minds of our little ones. You will
see the day that Zion will be as far
ahead of the outside world in every-
thing pertaining to learning of every
kind as we are to-day in regard to
reli^ous matters. You mark my
words, and write them down, and
see if they do not come to pass.
We are not dependent upon them,
but we are upon the Lord. We did
not get our priesthood nor our
i^ormation in r^ard to his law from
fixem; it came from Grod. The
world profess to know a little about
what they call science, literature and
the arts. Where did they get their
knowledge of these things from?
And what is it they really do know 1
They know something about the
laws of Nature. Who made those
lawst God made them; and he
knows how to govern them ; and it is
by his almighty power that they are
governed.
I remember talking with some
celebrated scientists from Europe
some time ago, and I explained to
them some of the principles relative
to the heavenly bodies that were
revealed through the Prophet Joseph
Smith. They were astonished to
know that ideas so grand could be
developed tlirough one that was com7
paratively unlearned. One of them
remarked that they were the most
magnificent principles he had eva
heard of ; another one said that he
had read and studied a great deal,
but he had a good deal more yet to
learn. We are, as the French would
say, enrappotij with God; that is iu
communication with God. Let us
live so that we can keep that up, so
that angels can minister to us and
the Holy Spirit dwell with us. We
havB received his guidance and
instruction. It is for us now to co
on from truth to truth, from inteUi-
gence to intelligence and from
wisdom to wisdouu And while
nations shall crumUe and thrones be
cast do?m, and the God of heaven
arise and shake terribly the earth,,
while the elements melt with fer-
vent heat in fulfilment of ancient
as well as modem prophecy ; while
these things are going on he will
whisper, peace to Zion, But the*
judgments ynXL begin at the house of
God. . We have to pass through
some of these things, but it will oiuy
be a very little compared with ihfi
terrible destruction, the misery an<i
suffering that will overtake tho
world who are doomed to suffer the
wrath of Grod. It behooves us, as
the Saints of God, to stand firm and
faithful in the observance of his
laws, that we may be worthy of his
preserving care and blessing.
Now a word about other things*
We want elders to go and preach tibe
GrospeL But some people wiU say,
" Here is such a young man who is
a little wild ; if he were to go abroad
perhaps he would reform." Brother
Peterson, we do not want such follis
to go as representatives of tho
Gospel of Jesus Christ And I s^
to you. Presidents of Stakes, we
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, ETC.
101
<do not want such an order of things ;
urewantmenthathavegotwithinthem
A'6 gift of the Holy (Siost, men who
ffive thegifli and power of God in
^Atn. We do not want men to go
itfcroad to be reformed. They are
^ot fit to live in Zion if they cannot
Morm themselves at home. We
must have men filled with faith and
the Holy Ghost. And you seventies
and high priests, wake up to a sense
•of the responsibility of your callings,
and purge away your follies and non-
sense and feel that you are indeed
the servants of the living God ; for
God will liold you responsible for
the priesthood you bear. Then
honor the Lord and magnify the
priesthood, and when you go forth
lo the nations bearing precious seed,
angels will go with you and the gift
of the Holy Ghost will accompany
you in your administrations and
though you may go weeping, bearing
t^e precious seed of the Gospel, you
will return rejoicing bringing yotir
sheaves with you. ' ^''
I do not know but what I have
talked enough. Brethren and sisters
God bless you. And God bless the
reHef societies and the young meh*fe
and the young ladies' societies,
and God bless your president and
his counselors, and your bishops and
their counselors, and all that fear
God, and work righteousness. And
the Lord God put a hook in the jaWs
of our enemies that seek our injury
and overthrow, that they may not
have power against the Israel of
God. And God bless all Israel) thai
Zion may arise and shine and the
glory of God rest upon her. I asK
it in the name of Jesus. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT,
Delivered in the 16th Ward Meeting House, Sunday Afternoon,
March 7th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine,)
the brinciple of revelation and its application to THE several
phases of life — how the brotherhood of man shall bb
evolved.
I presume we all understand that
the Spirit of the Lord is in the con-
gregation of the Saints. If we do
act understand it and if there is any
one that does not realize the necessi-
ty of enjoying it, it would be a good
thing perhaps for him to get up nero
a while.
102
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
When a person is called upon to
address a congregation and notices
the upturned faces before him, wait-
ing, wishing, very likely praying,
for the blessings which they particu-
larly desire, I think that no man
can look upon such a sight unmoved,
he must feel his own ignorance and
weakness, and dependence, and
when he does this I believe that all
public administrations will be an
advantage and blessing both to
the speaker and hearers, and I am
sure that is my object this afternoon.
I have no personal ambition to serve,
but I do want to bless and I do
know that I need to be blessed. And
this is the place appointed (so far as
this ward is concerned) for the re-
ception of those blessings which per-
tain to the public services of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Here is the place where
there should be intelligence. Here
is the place where there should be
wisdom. Here is the place to expect
revelation, and that not in any
vague, misty, half understood sense,
— not lost or covered up by a multi-
tude of words, but divested of every-
thing that will deprive us of know-
ledge as to the essential principles
which belong really to revelation.
The world, however, holds very
peculiar ideas in regard to this.
Every elder in Israel who will look
back upon his experience, if it
reaches even to the early history of
this Church, will comprehend how
odd and mythical the ideas in regard
to revelation were as then held by
mankind. It is true that the masses
of the people as well as the teachers
Relieved that in the ancient times
there had been some communication
with the intelligences who dwell
behind the vail. They all agreed —
all Christians did at all events — that
the Spirit was made manifest and its
utterances recorded in a book. They
believed that without that book the
world was in a lost condition, that
men were left to grope in darkness
and to wander in ignorance, bat
with that book it was believed that
every man and every woman could
understand themselves ; they could
understand something of their origin
and the purpose for which they were
dwelling upon the earth, the destiny
which belonged to the human family,
and also the process by which that
destiny could be best secured. But
it is astonishing what a little light
will do for a man. It is astonishing
how our minds expand when we
receive the key to the situation. And
when we look at the vast difference
there is between the community wha
inhabit these mountains and the
communities of the nations from
which we have been gathered —
probably most can see and are aware
that between the two there exists a
great and ever widening gulf. Men
who reject the principle of revelation
in any direction must inevitably
become stunted, they must inevitably
cease to live, because revelation is-
the element of Hfe, it is the secret of
growth, it is the power of increase,
and it is only in proportion to the-
receptive ability of a man, or woman,
or child, that they can increase in
intelligence. Now, divested of all
extraneous or outside ideas, divested
of all the mystery that has been
thrown around the idea of revela-
tion by man-made teachers, divested,
of all traditions and thoughts that
have been written in regard to it,
what is the essential idea involved
in revelation in its significant simpli-
city. What is there that is difficult
of comprehension? What is there
that it should need men of classical
education to explain it ; what is
there that there should be these
large colleges and this immense army
of ministers in order that the world
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, ETC.
108
may be enlightened in regard to the
principle of revelation ? Why, when
you came to probe and to reach the
foundation of the idea It is nothing
more nor less than the communica-
tion of intelligence possessed by one
to another who in regard to that
subject remains in ignorance. That
is all there is involved in revelation,
and whenever you find a human
being who is ignorant of any subject
pertaining to any direction of human
thought, or in regard to any useful
field of human experience, there
revelation is an absolute necessity.
Now, then, revelation may vary in
degree ; it may vary in character,
according to the necessities of the
case, according to the intelligence of
individuals. The mother who guides
the destiny of a tamily and endows
it with all the comforts of domestic
and social life finds herself surround-
ed by a few crude men and women,
or, as we call them, boys or girls.
You consider the character of this
offspring. When they were born
they were helpless, and in infancy
they possessed no intelligence, save
those animal instincts which lead
only to the preservation of life. But
in a few weeks or months the spirit
•f intelligence begins to dawn. The
mother watches the growing spark
and seeks to fan it to a flame ; to
point out the remedy where difl&cul-
ty occurs in early experience ; to
explain the educational process
through which the child must pass
from iiian or womanhood ; and to
show that when the first efforts are
made, and even when they are com-
parative failures, that these only
stand as sentinels or pointsmen in
the great highway of success —
prompters to ultimate and final suc-
cess. The probability is that every
young woman who has learned to
make bread has had an experience
of this character. And it is true
that many of the first trials, unless
the mother watched very closely,
would not be successful, the bread
might be heavy, or it become sour.
Now it is the mother's duty to
reveal, to give from her intelligence
to one comparatively ignorant, a
solution or remedy for the difficulty.
The young girl is expected to listen
to the mother. She has the faculty
to receive the intelligence that is
communicated, and to put that in-
telligence into practice. And when
the bread was heavy the mother
showed the cause which brought
about that condition. If the bread
was sour, a little neutralizing ele-
ment had to be put into the dough,
in order that the acidity might be
removed, a little soda or some-
thing of that kind ; and this is
a revelatory process from the mother
to the child. If you take one of our
good mothers in Israel who has
grown grey under the weight of
experience, you will find that she
possesses a vast fund of information,
and in every direction in domestic
or social life she is the great
standard of appeal, and even when
the daughter has become a married
woman, when she passes into the
responsibility of motherhood, when
sickness takes hold of the darling
that God has given her, she instant-
ly appeals to the higher or wider
intelligence and experience of the
mother, and that which the mother,
by the advantage of years, by the
experience through which she has
passed, has gained, she communi-
cates unto the daughter, and thus
the daughter becomes the recipient
of revelation. And as it is with the
mother and the daughter, so also it
is with the father and the son ; 80
also it is with those who are learn-
ing a trade, so also it is with those
who attend our daily or our Sabbath
schools, and the) very fact that we
w*
JOURNAL or DISCOURSKS.
{|r«8o constituted that we can receive {
xevelation in these channels is a
levelation in and of itself, written in
the fundamental organization of the
human character, that revelation is not
only possible and desirable, but that
it is also a necessary and inevitable
element pertaining to the highest
welfare and the grand destiny and
future of those who submit to its
varied processes from day to day !
Now, this character of intelligence
may be said to mark the very lowest
phases of human life ; but while
man is an animal, while he has his
physical necessities, while he is
surrounded with domestic life, while
he is subject to and is a member of
the social arena of life, there are also
attributes of character which are
beyond this physical, this animal,
*nd this social cast. There is some-
thing in every man and in every
woman which savors of the divine,
in all the circumstances of life there
i^ a reaching out after something
which is beyond the grasp ; there is
^ soaring of the spirit, a seeking after
something to which the present
surroundings gave no clue. Man
feels that he is. He not only feels
that he is, but thousands and
millions of the human family have
ap. inkling of the great fact that they
have been, and millions and millions
more have an inkling of the other
gieat fact that when they leave this
stage of existence they will continue
tp be. And it is the realization of
^jich things which establishes the
idea outside of any other special
yeyelation that our origin is divine
j^ well as human. When we sense
(ithese ideas, when they become inter-
jvyoven into the fabric of our lives,
^h-en we instinctively feel that we
4tO possess this characteristic, there
must be certain elements and certain
principles which will minister to the
growth of such ideas ; just as there
are elements of and in nature which
minister to the welfare of the lower,
so there are elements which minister
to the higher, and fitted for the
cultivation of eveiy attribute of the
human character, no matter how low
we may esteem it to be, or how
lofty we may conceive it to be, there
are resources in the economy of God
for the development and growth
and glory of that characteristic.
Hence when a man realizes that he
had a pre-existence, when he realizes
that the present existence is but a
transitory condition, when he realizes
that there is a vast and illimitable
future before him, he desires to com-
prehend how he shall best minister
to his individual welfare in that
future. And 'here steps in the
necessity of revelation based upon
philosophy, based upon human
necessities and human needs. The
only way that we can be educated
in this direction is by revelation
coming to us from outside sources,
from higher intelligences, from those
who have passed through the self-
same experience as we ourselves
have and will for ever pass.
Now, then, as a fundamental pro-
cess for our education in this respect
we have given unto us the Gospel
That Gospel is just as systematic
and just as orderly as are the details
of education in a school. It is just
as orderly and systematic as are the
methods by which our boys are
taught and trained in the various
branches of education or trade. It
is just as orderly and systematic as
the education our wives give to their
daughters, or that mothers give to
their married girls. You never find
a mother, in training her children
for domestic life, begin to tell them
in the first place how to make one
of those very rich cakes that we
sometimes make ourselves sick with
at Christmas. You would scarcely
THE PIUNCIPLE Of REVELATION, ETC.
•W^
4nd a man who took an apprentice,
begin to teach him in the first place
some higher branches of kis trs^le.
You would scarcely fii^d a teacher
begin to teach his pupils the
advanced principles pertaining to a
classical education. There is an
order ; there are steps and processes
in every educational direction, which
we take in their order and in tlieir
time and place. Now one of the
most startling revelations that has
been given to the human family in
the day and age in which we live,
by the elders of Israel, to a dark and
benighted world, is the great funda-
mental idea of '*the fatherhood of
God." Now, this may not appear
so startling to the American citizen
whose mind is impregnated with the
idea that the human family are
erjual, — tliat one man is as good as
another, but in the Old World
there exists conditions of class
and of caste. You who have
come from England or from
any European n^^tion, will
realize what I mean by class and
caste. There is the charmed circle
of the royal blood," into which the
plebeian never eaters. There is the
larger circle of the aristocracy, or, as
we call them, the " upper ten," and
into the precincts of that circle,
jealously guarded as they are. a
stranger scarcely ever enters. Then
you were surrounded in England by
what is called the middle classes,
and even they look upon the lower
classes as being made of some mate-
rial distinct and different from them-
selves ; but when the elders of Israel
landed in Old England and pro-
claimed '*the fatherhood of God,"
and laid the axe at the root of caste
and class, they were preparing for
the foundation of a kingdom that
should recognize the essential unity
of the human family and of necessity
the brotherhood of man. It is quite
true that under some social, religious
or political circumstances, we hear of
a certain unity and equality among
the human family ; but if you
attempt to put that unity and
equality into practice, what are the
results that inevitably flow from such
a course 1 You are surrounded with
obstacles on every hand, and it is
only perhaps after the lapse of two
or three generations that a man in
his posterity is able to make his
way from the ranks and associate
with the higher class. It is true
there are those here and there who
do this, and they do it by virtue of
inherent genius or some chance lega-
cy, and when they are accepted into
this higher class, it is by virtue of
tfiis chance, etc., but as a rule
they are looked upon as intruders.
Take the Prime Minister of England,
Lord Beaconstield. There is a man
who has made himself a necessity
to the government of the country,
to Her Majesty, to the higher classes ;
he has done this by virtue of the
inspiration of the Almighty, and yet
with all his grand attainments, that
man man is looked upon more or less
as an intruder because he was not
nobly born ! And so I might multi-
ply illustrations which would be
familiar to you all. But the Gospel
sets out in the first place with these
two ideas, twin ideas, that never can
be put asunder, the fatherhood of
God and the brotherhood of the
human family.
Now, then, if we are one in our
origin, if we are really one in
destiny, we must all reach that
destiny by the self-same process,
and that process is to be found in
the ordinances of the Gospel, in the
power of inspiration and revelation
resting upon those who initiate men
and women into that order; And
in connection with this, wherever
and whenever you comprehend this
106
journaI. of discourses.
J-
I
higher intelligence that bears, rule
in the eternities, controlling the
destines of these great orbs that we
see from time to time in the mid-
night heavens — ^wherever you find
those that have graded from a
fallen world you will find those who
graded up and through the
instrumentality of the self-same
Gospel that is given to you and me.
There is no other Gospel. There is
no other way to that exaltation
which pertains to the Gods only
through the revelation of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. So that there is
"no royal road" to heaven; no
matter what a man's condition, no
matter what the class to which he
may have been known in social life
on earth by virtue of birth or by
virtue of wealth ; no matter what
position he may occupy because of
his ignorance or lack of information ;
no matter whether he may live in a
hovel or dwell in a palace, or though
he may have but a crust to eat or his
table be laden with all the good
things of the earth, he must submit
to the self-same ordinances, be con-
trolled by the self-same spirit of
revelation, and reach the final issue
through the self-same channel.
Now, then, what is it that we
expect through the Gospel 1 Why,
that it may develop in you and me,
from our crude, ignorant, unloveable
condition — the results of many a
fearful fall — the appearance and the
characteristics of the eternal Father.
This self-same idea animated the
Saints in ancient times. They had
faith that by obedience to righteous
laws there would be evolved in and
from them, through the attributes
which they already possessed, measur-
ably dormant or measurably active
as the case may be — that they would
be able to produce the likeness of
God the eternal Father. Now,
at first view this may appear sur-
prising, but suppose we reason upon
it for a moment or two.
Here are some of you good breth-
ren ; you go to work this spring and
you set out an orchard of apple trees,
and by and by the time for fruit
arrives and you go and look for pears^
or plums, or cherries upon the apple
trees ! Now, what would be thought
of your intelligence? Why every-
body would say you have certainly
made a mistake ; they were apple
trees that you planted, and apples
are the fruit ; if you want pears you
must plant pear trees. Men don't
gather grapes off thorns nor figs off
thistles. Then, if we are the
children of our Father you can see
at a glance by that illustration that if
we submit to the process of educa-
tion which he had pointed out and
laid down, we must become like him.
Well, now, this may seem incredible
to some that a human being, defiled
and deformed as he is by sin and trans-
gression, the result of ages — I say it
may seem almost incredible that
a human being should be able to rise
to the characteristics and attributes
and appearance of the Father ; but
it is not only possible but it is inevi-
table, and all the ancient Saints had
this idea. One of the old prophets,
for instance, when under the inspi-
ration of the Almighty, has said, ** I
shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with thy likeness ;" and in the New
Testament, one of the apostles
said, looking forward to the time of
the resurrection, that " When he
shall appear, we shall be like him ;
for we shall see him as he is." We
shall have an opportunity of demon-
strating our likeness. We shall be
able to make the contrast, " We shall
be like him ; for we shall see him as
he is." And of Jesus it was said
that " He was the brightness of his
Father's glory and the express image
of his person." He was like his
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION, ETC.
lOT
Father, and this likeness was in him
by virtue of the fact that he lived in
possession of the inspiration of reve-
lation ; his course was marked out
by that spirit. It animated every
faculty, controlled every action,
prompted every motive, and because
that spirit was poured upon him
" without measure," he became the
glory of his Father and exhibited in
himself the " express image of his
person," and he, in speaking to his
disciples, declared that they should
become " like unto him, even as he
was like his Father," by the recep-
tion o. " line upon line and precept
upon precept, here a little and there
a little." Now, probably I might
illustrate this from the facts of every-
day life, the possibility, I mean, of a
change in the features of those with
whom we are familiar. Did you
ever notice a man and wife who had
lived happily together, whose
thoughts were one, who had become
assimilated to each other in their
tastes and feelings so far and to suoh
an extent that when you see them
white with the snow of years you
would say of them, ** I never saw a
couple so much alike ; they are posi-
tively like brother and sister." Did
that ever come under your observa-
tion 1 It has come under mine many
and many a time. Now, what was
the secret of that 1 Why the wife
had become assimilated to the
husband and the husband to the wife ;
they were actuated upon in a great
measure by the selfsame impulses,
until they had become similar in
their habits of life, so thoroughly
one that they were like each other
even in their facial expression, and
when death claimed one or the other,
but a few hours or days would pass
before they were again and for ever-
more united. And this is a charac-
teristic in which we glory. But to
illustrate this in anotlier direction.
Here is a mother, now, or a young
wife. Her heart overflows with
aflfection for the husband of her
youth. God has blessed the union
that was made by the authority of
the priesthood. She passes along
until she attains to the conch* tion of
motherhood, and in the fulness of
her heart she brings the babe to the
assembly of the Saints that hy the
authority of the priesthood it may
be dedicated to the service of God
and to the building up of this king-
dom. The mother's heart is full.
It bursts almost with gratitude for
the great boon she has received.
She breathes many a prayer for the
child that God has given, and by
and by, even when the cup seems
full to the very brim, some of her
sisters come along and say, " what a
beautiful baby you have got ; how
very like its father;" and that is the
last drop needful to make the
mother's soul and ambition full to
overflowing. To say that the babe
was like herself would perhaps have
been quite as correct ; but when it
was pronounced to be like his father,
more especially if its father was a
good husband, if he was everything
that he should be in regard to char-
acter — there was no limit to the love
and affection she could bear for her
husband and their child.
# « « « «
There is an illustration we can
apply in another direction. We
have all come down from the eter-
nities of the past to this period of
probation. I think the probabilities
are that while we dwelt there we
were in possession of a goo<i deal of
intelligence. There were many
facilities, 1 expect, for the acquisition
of such intelligence as was adapted
to our condition. I believe that we
were there taught the necessity and
advantage of taking a probation
upon the earth. I believe that there
^08
JOUliNAL OF DISCO UKItUEii.
we exhibited a great many of the I
attributes of our Father, the Father
of our spirits ; but we came down
liere apd we took upon us taber-
nacles ; these tabernacles are given
to us by our earthly father and by
our mother. And they came to us
corrupted, they came to us contami-
nated by the vast variety of evils
with which our fathers have afflicted
themselves during many generations.
When we consider the exalted char-
acter of our first father, when we
consider the position that he
occupies, and when we consider his
offspring on the earth subject to the
infirmities of the flesh, it is not
unlikely that many are lead to say,
" how can we be the children of our
father who art in heaven 1 And if
we are his children how can we
renew or be restored to his image
and likeness, how can we develop
the attributes which he possesses,
how can we become like him in our
spirits and more or less in our
tabernacles." Why we shall have
to do this by the reception of his
spirit, and by cultivating the princi-
ples of life that come through revela-
tion. When we come to look at
each other as we are, we see stamped
in our countenances selfishness, we
see exhibitions of sensuality, we see
the evidences of a thousand and one
conditions to which we have been
subjected and our fathers before us.
Now, the Gospel has been given us
to do away with sin and death , it
has been given to develop in us the
attributes and characteristics of our
Father in heaven from faculties we
already possess. Well, now, we
will suppose that one of those angels
of intelligence surrounding the
throne of God comes down to the
streets of Salt Lake City. He goes
up one of the principal thorough-
fares and peers into the face of
everyone that passes. He marks
our plainness, or, in some instances,
ugliness. He can detect at a glance
where the faculties are perverted^
and where they are in their norrnal
condition. He can see in a moment
how we have been beclouded by sin,
how we have been subjected to evil
influences, how we have given way
to temptation, and how we are the
subjects of the conditions which sur-
round us. But as he passes along
he meets one of a little different
stamp. A man may be dwelling in
a hovel on the bench or in the low
wards of the city, and he steps up
to such a one and says, *' how do you
do.'* " Why," says the person
addressed, " you have the advantage
of me, I do not know that I ever
saw you before." " Well, now,
probably you never did, but," says
he, " I know you although I never
saw you." " Well, how do you
know me." " Why, I am from the
eternities that are beyond the vail,
T am come from where your Father
dwells and I can see in the lustre of your
eye, I can feel by the aura or influ-
ence which surrounds you as you
move from place to place, that you
are animated by the spirit of your
Father's house, I can discern in your
physiognomy the lineage of your pro-
genitors." Well, what is the secret 1
Simply that there is a man living his
religion. He is filled with the Spirit
and power of God. It is a lamp to
his feet and a light to his path. It
actuates him in all the circumstances
of life ; as a father, as a member of
the Church to which he belongs and
as a citizen. It is this which gives
lustre to the eye and elasticity to the
step, even when the body is bent
with weight of years, and the stran-
ger who has come direct from the
eternal worlds can see that there is
a man who has been with Jesus and
has learned of him. Will it glorify
a man and woman in this respect
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATIOK, ETC.
10^
while they are in the flesh 1 Yes, it
will, and when men and women in
general come in contact with them,
they will be prepared to bear testi-
mony that they are in the enjoyment
of a good, or as we may say, right
spirit. Wliile they are tabernacling
in the flesh they are preparing for
the more exalted condition and state
which belongs to them in the future,
and many and many a man and
woman have exhibited some of the
characteristics which were exhibited
by tlie indivdual who came to the
Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos.
John fell at his feet to worship him,
" See thou do it not (said he), I am
thy fellow servant, and of thy bre-
thren that have the testimony of
Jesus. Worship God." John
thought from the glory surrounding
him that he must be God himself,
and he began to bow the knee to
him. " See thou do it not." And
when we see a man whom we recog-
nize as faithful in all the conditions
of life, as " a man whom we can tie
to " — to use a common expression, a
man who is on hand all the time,
who is living his religion, we feel
involuntarily to lift our hats to such
a 'one, and this intuitive reverence
whicih we pay to hutnatt character,
is testimony of God witllih the vail
of flesh, and also an evidence of the
spirit of revelation ami inspiration.
Now, this is the purpose of our
religion, and althoitgh our receptive
faculties may be comparatively dor-
mant, yet they can beconie enlarged.
You and I . have a right to enjoy
i^Velatiun and inspiration. It is not
confined to ofiicials or to the ordained
elders of Israel, it is not confined to
the first presidency, to the twelve
aj)08tles, to the seventies or the high
priests, but it i$ within the reach of
every man arid womari in Israel, and
we -cart liring that spirit of revelation
lo bekr Upon our diity, in bur social
as well as our religious life. Now,
1 know there, are a great many who
think that the spirit of revelation
and inspiration is of no use in the
details of every day life. This,
however, is a mistake, for the self
same inspiration and revelation can
qualify a man in business, it can help
his faculties, enlarge his reason, and
make him more noble and godlike
and intelligent in all the directions
he may be called upon to act in. To
be sure there are those who say that
our religion has nothing to do with
our business. I recollect one of our
leading men asserting that President
Young might direct in spiritual
things, he might direct in matters
pertaining to the Gospel, "but, when
it came to business, he knew what
business was !*' Now, that is a mis-
take because the object of this
Gospel is to minister to our spiritual
and also to our temporal w^ants and
interests. Take our bishops as an
illustration. Are they not called to
administer in the temporal affairs of
the kingdom 1 What is their office 1
They are fathers to the people. They
are to see that every man becomes
self-sustaining. They are called npoici
to open up industries for the growing
youth of our Territory. We sustain
them in that office. Thus our reli-
gion enters into temporal things and
they are ordained, and set apart for
this. When Brother George Q. '
Cannon goes to represent us in Con-
gress he is set apart for that office,
and the priesthood lay their hand^ ^
upon him in order that he may b0
blessed in that capacity. When
Brother Staines goes down to Ne'v^
York, he goes there to attend to
those duties which are temporal, but
he is set apart by the Authorities of
this Church to officiate in that chal^•
acter. The Gospel therefore inter-
feres in our temporal arrangements,
I And this is no netr thedry. It is ^
110
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
old as the everlasting hills ; it per-
tains to eternity, it will exist
throughout all the eteifnities of the
future. If you turn back in the
old book to the history of the
tabernacle in the wilderness, you
find that, under the jurisdiction of
Moses, there were certain men who
labored on that building that were
inspired of God. He caused his
Spirit to rest upon them, and you
will notice it in a greater degree
when you come to the building of
the temple of Solomon. You will
find there were men inspired to work
in that direction. And that which
was good in the years of the past is
^ood in the day and age in which
we live, and the day will yet come
in Israel when men will be set apart
to act in more temporal capacities
than many in Israel dare to think of
now. When a man shows that he
has received a gift from God, no
matter about its character, whether
it is a gift of wisdom, ©r whether it
is a gift leading into mechanics,
science or literature — whenever that
man exhibits these attainments, and
he is taken and set apart by the
pervants of God, you will see that
spirit enlarge his faculties, increase
his judgment, and when that day
comes, you will see a good spirit in
the midst of Israel. It will glow
and grow and iucreaae in every
direction that will minister to the
welfare of the kingdom as a whole.
Why, even now, in the building of
our Temples, Brother T. 0. Angell
And others are sustained as architects.
Now, what has religion to do with
building a house? Much. Has it
fo do with teaching a school 1 Yes.
Has it to do with domestic economy ]
•Yes ; I know it has ; and wherever
you find men and women who will
cultivate that spirit and follow its
counsel, you will find that they will
become famous in the direction in
which they act. They are inspired
of God, led by his spirit, and have
access to the intelligence that lies
behind the vail, and those who have
had experience there will minister to
our wants, so that when Zion begins
to grow she will fairly shine. She
will support everything that will
contribute to the welfare and glory
of the greatest kingdom that was
ever set up upon the earth, until
men shall say, " Come ye, and let
us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, to the house of the God of
Jacob ; and he will teach us of his
ways, and we will walk in his paths."
Now, this is the purpose for which
you and I have come from the Old
World, from the different States in
the New World, and from the dif-
ferent parts of Europe and the
islands of the sea, to be taught of
God, to enjoy his Spirit, to be
educated in his Church, to be
subject to his authority, and
to grow and increase in the know-
ledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now that is something worth having,
something that is worth living for,
something that outshines and out-
distances all the organizations
and systems which men may have
introduced. It is the Gospel of the
living God. It is the Spirit of the
living God burning in the hearts of
the Saints. But far too many of us
neglect this Spirit, we grieve it, we
do not listen to its admonitions.
How many in Israel have bartered
their homes and sunk their means
in a " hole in the ground," because
they would not listen to the counsels
of God through his servants ? How
many failures in life, because of our
ignorance, notwithstanding the
fountains of intelligence are open at
which we can drink 1 How many of
us lose our children because we fail
to apply to these great fountains, so
that all could operate and under-
ETERNAL XiATURE OF THE OQSFELy ETC.
Ill
stand how to resist adverse influ-
while we are in the flesh.
ences.
Now, if we would cultivate this
spirit, if we would listen to its teach-
ings, it would come to us in many
ways, in visions, in dreams and
manifestations of the power of God.
We could have the ministration of
angels, and many of us probably the
ministration of the Son — as oorae
have done in the history and experi-
ence of this Church — and this is the
position to which we will all arrive
if we are faithful to the great trust
that is laid upon us ; we shall not
only enjoy the society of "an
innumerable company of angels," not
only come "to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn," but we
shall also be privileged to go to
Jesus, and to God the Father of us
all and there bask in his presence
and be educated in his ways and sit
down to the glory which awaits the
just.
Isow, may God bless us with his
Spirit, may he lift us from the
grovelling condition in wliich we
find ourseves placed ; may he infuse
into and surround us with the influ-
ence of his Spirit, that we may live
indeed a new life, and so glorify God
" in our bodies and spirits which are
his," is ray prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDEiJlT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at American Fork, Friday, November 28th, 1679
(Reported by Geo. F, Gibbs,)
eternal nature of the gospel — THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFE
INCREASE — THE SOURCE OF ALL INTELLIGENCE — RIGHT OF
CREATOR TO GOVERN THE CRU^TURE — ^DUTIES OF THE SAINTS.
AND
I have been much interested in
the remarks made by Brother Joseph
F. Smith this morning. They are
true and are a part of the Grospel of
life and salvation which embraces all
truth. While he. was speaking this
passage of Scripture occurred to my
mind. Jesus said, "Whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man which built his house upon
a rock : And the rain descended and
the floods came, and the winds blew
and beat upon that house ; and it fell
112
JOURNAL OF Dtl^OOURSldl.
not ; for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these
sayings of mine and doeth them not
shall be likened unto a foolish man,
which built his house upon the sand :
And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house; and it
fell ; and great was the fall of it."
There is not a principle associated
with the Gospel of the Son of God
but what is eternal in its nature and
consequences, and we cannot with
impunity trample upon any princi-
ple that is correct without having to
suffer the penalty thereof before God
and the holy angels, and in many
instances before men. The princi-
ples of the Gospel being eternal,
they were framed and originated
with the Almighty in eternity before
the world was, according to certain
eternal laws, and hence the Gospel
is called the everlasting Gospel. It
is like God, without beginning of
days or eyid of years, and, as the
Lord says, "I am the Lord and J
change not.** The Gospel is eternal
and does not change; it is eternal
in its principles and consequences.
And the angel who was to come
in the last days flying in the midst
of heaven was to proclaim the ever-
lasting £[os|>d — the same Gospel
that Adam had, the same Gospel
that Noah had, the same Gospel thai
Abraham had, the same Gospel. that
the prophets had, the same Gospel
that Jesus had, also the same Go^peT^ciple of vitality exists within them-
that the Nephites had here upofi
iftiis coiitinent, and which Jesus re-
vealed to them, and that they had
indeed before he was in the flesh. It
& ^the everlasting Gospel whitfc
oittgs life and immortality to light,
finfl which enters into all the ramifi-
tMons of human existence and to
lia existence of the Gods, and to lih^
ffifetence of this world and of ifll
otiiet worlds.
As Brother Joseph F. Smith has
justly said, the first command
given was, ** Be fruitful and
multiply and replenish the earth,
and subdue it ; and have do-
minion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowls of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth
upon the e.arth."
There is a principle of life associ-
ted with the Gospel — life temporal,
life spiritual and life eternal. Hence
men are called to be fathers of lives
and women are called to be mothers
of lives. We are fathers and mothers
of lives. And there is something
different associated with the order
of God from any order of men that
exists upon the earth.
When God created the earth and
placed man upon it, and the fishes of
the sea and the fowls of the air, and
the grasses and plants and trees, etc.,
he placed in them the principle of
life, or, in other words, the power
of propagating their own species.
And if it were not for that, what
would you farmers dol Men can
accomplish a great many things.
They can build houses, railroads and
steamboats, and can do a great many
clever things whereby they can com-
mand, to a certain extent, the forces
oT nature; but they cannot give
vitality to any of them. They can-
not even furnish material to make a
grain of sand, the wisest of them.
»Ut God has ordained that this prin-
seives. You take a single grain 6t
whea^, for instance, and put it into
the earth and you will see the prin-
ciple of life begin to manifest itself,
it is very small apparently, but eon-
taiiis -within itself the power of iii-
crease. The same is also true with
regard tb the grasses, shrubs, plants
and flovi^ers, and the various things
that eadst ih creation. They spread,
ihey extend, and they have spreaiS
ETERNA^i NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
113
over the face of the earth as man
has spread, and the rain descends
and the sun shines and nature, as
we term it, operates ; but I would
call it the power of God which oper-
ates according to eternal laws and
principles that he has ordained. He
gives vitality to all creation and sets
life into motion and controls it, in
the heavens as well as in the earth ;
not only among men, but among the
beasts of the field, the fowls of the
air, thie fishes of the sea, and all the
grasses, plants and flowers and herbs
etc., everything possessing the prin-
ciple of life within itself. You
farmers know that, and hence you
store up your different seed^ and in
the proper season take them and
plant them and they grow and
increase and spread ; these things
look very small. It is very little to
look at a grain of wheat, but then if
you don't have it you never could
raise wheat. Can you farmers make
one solitary grain of wheat without
the seed 1 It is apparently a small
thing but you can't do it. You can
try it if you please, but you will not
succeed. You cannot make a
peppergrass seed ; but if you take
one of those seeds or a grain of
wheat and sow it and water it you
may by its increase spread it over all
the face of the earth ; but if you did
not have the seed you could not
accomplish anything. I do not care
how smart you are or what rules of
philosophy or science you may have
come across, all I ask of you is to
make a grain of oats or wheat But
then, we will stop at the wheat. If
we cannot do that we are not so
very important, are wel There
needs a superior power to give this
vitality. You look at it. You see
to-day the trees are leafless, there
are no flowers in bloom, everything
is seared and withered and appar-
ently gone to decay. By and by
No. 8.
I according to the principles of nature,
or the laws of God, spring comes
along, and the birds begin to sing
and feel happy, the grass begins to
shoot forth, the flowers begin to bud,
the trees begin to blossom. And
who gives this vitality and main-
tains it ] God. Could you do much
without himi No. Why, you fcannot
even make your grain to grow after
it is provided for you without water.
You try it sometimes but you make
a poor out of it, and withal we need
the revivifying heat of the sun.
The grass begins to shoot up and by
and by we have the wheat and corn,
first the blade and ear and then full
corn in the ear. We have apple
trees, plum trees, and the various
fruit trees budding, blossoming and
bearing fruit, all these things are
provided by whom ] By the omni-
potent, omniscient hand of the
Almighty according to certain eter-
nal laws that he has provided for
man and for every creature that
exists upon the face of the earth.
But we will come back to the
things spoken of by Joseph F. Smith.
This principle of life is the origin of
our world, not only of this world,
but of others ; and this propagating
and multipljdng is ordained of the
Almighty for the peopUng of these
worlds. And this production of
life that I have briefly alluded to is
another principle that exists to
supply the want of another kind of
life that exists here upon the 'earth.
And without this there could be no
world ; all would be chaos, all would
be darkness, all would be death, and
the works of God would amount ta
nothing if it were not for this lifo
and vitality.
Now, 1 want to speak further on
a principle associated with this sub-^
ject, that is, that in the .providence .
of God, or according to the eterr^ .
laws of God and the eternal fitnesa
Vol. XXI.
114
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
of things as they exist with him in
the eternal worlds and as they exist
here upon the earth, all of us are or
should be as much under the guid-
ance and direction of God, and are
as much obligated to listen to his
law and be governed by his counsels
and advice — and I should think a
little more so — than we would be in
making that grain of wheat to grow
or ten thousand million of them to
grow, for we could not do it without
being governed by those laws requi-
site to produce the increase. Fur-
thermore, we all are the offspring of
God, are we not ? I think the Scrip-
tures read that " We are all his off-
spring ; that he is the God and
Father of the spirits of all flesh ;"
and being the God and Father of
the spirits of all flesh, and having
made a world for all flesh to inhabit,
and having made provision for the
sustenance of that flesh, for their
food, clothing, comfort, convenience
and happiness, and given them
intelligence and told them to go
forth and manipulate the abundance
of nature to their use, has he not
a right to lead and direct us, to ask
obedience to his law? Would not
that be a legitimate right, when we
Inflect upon it? The world says,
No, he has no right ; I am my own
master, etc. Some of the Latter-
&y Saints almost say the same
tMng; not quite, but they would
Ipce to get near it. ** I aupi a free
mt^ ; I will be damned if I (ion't do
as I please," etc, W^ll, I will tell
ydu another part of that stoi^'. You
\ml'be damned if you do act as y©u
please unless you plf^ase to do, and to
kieepHhe laws of God. We cannot
T^late his laws wifli impui^ity nor
trample under foot these eternal
p^ciple? wHchexist in all nature.
IfHall nature is compelled to be, gov-
erned by law or suffer loss, why not
nknf
Now, then, he has revealed unto
us the Gospel. He has gathered us
together from among the nations of
the earth for the accomplishment of
his purposes. For this he has used
higher measures and more exalted
principles than are associated with
some of the lower orders of nature,
some of these things that exist in
nature. But who can comprehend
them 1 The world with all its wis-
dom knows very little about them.
The world with all its wisdom
knows nothing about God. What
is the acme of the perfection of
knowledge that exists anywhere to-
day 1 What is the highest step of
the ladder they can reach ? To dis-
cover scMne principles or laws of
nature and become acquainted with
them and then they make terrible
blunders at that But this is the
acme of perfection that any philoso-
pher or scientist or intelligent man
professes to reach — to understand
some of the laws of nature. But
how much of these do they know.
Why, in my time, in order to show
how much they know and how little,
I wlQ mention some things that have
not existed in my day. They did
not know of the oil we bum in this
room. I can remember that in some
of the large cities of the earth all
they had to light then w^ tallow or
wax candles or whale oil, which was
just about enpugh to make darkness
visible. And after all the thousands
of years that men have existed upon
the earih tjiiey cannpt even make
the oil you bum to-day, and they
did not have it when I was young.
But did that principle that exists m
the oijl always exist 1 Yes. Why
did't they und it out? Becajuse
they only understpod a f^w of the
principles of iia^ure notwithstanding
all tJxeir philosophy; and inteHj(gence/
A^in, who knew .any;thing libout
gas, in those days 1 I can retn^nber
ETERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
115
the time when the streets and shops
were ' first lighted up with gas.
What did they have before ] Tallow
candles ; those in common use we
used to call dips. You old people
know about this and whale oil, but
you did not know anything about
gas j but did not gas always exist 1
Yes. Why did they not know it 1
Because they were like us, didn't
know much. Again, what did they
know about the power of steam]
I can remember the time when theie
was no such thing as steamboats,
when we who lived in England had
to come to America in sailing vessels.
They had, it is true, some sriiall
vessels that were used on the rivers
propelled by steam, which they
could not trust in the ocean, and a
little time before that they had no
steamers of any kind. And then
what about our railroads'? Did
they know how to apply steam to
locomotives? No. I remember
riding on the first railroad that was
built, and here is Brother Robinson,
who was one of the conductors of
that same railroad that ran between
Liverpool and Manchester. I think
he is now nearly the first railroad
conductor, and the oldest living.
Why didn't men find out these
things'? We have had intelligent
men and philosophers in all ages to
the present time, but none could
understand these things. Yet the
principles are eternal in their nature
and always existed, and all it needed
was to bring them out. And when
men discovered them they thought
they were some great beings. And
what did they discover? Simply
something that God had already
paade long ag©, only they did*t know
it In talking about these things I
am reminded of a little baby. You
sisters have your babies, and you are
aware how little they know at first,
and we ourselves do not know very
much ; we are only babies of a big-
ger growth. One of the first things
they find out is that they have a
foot, and they try to put it in their
mouth. They look at it in astonish-
ment. Why, they always had that
foot since their birth. Why did'nt
they know it before 1 Another
thing they find out they have a hand
and they think what a curious thing
it is, and they look at it and the
motion of their fingers with astonish-
ment, and they think they have
made a great discovery. But there
is not much difference between the
world of mankind and the babies
when we come to look at it. The
child had nothing to do with the
making of its hands, neither have
we had anything to do with origina-
ting any of these principles. God
made them, and we have simply dis-
covered some of the powers of what
is termed nature, and when we have
found out a little of these things we
take the glory to ourselves ; we feel
very much like the king of Babylon
when he said, '^ Is not this Great
Babylon that I have built r* The
Lord, however, started him off to
eat grass like an ox. He had to live
on it until seven years had passed
over him, when the Lord restored
him to his natural state, and he then
knew that there was a God who
lived and ruled in the heavens and
on the earth. It is for us to learn
this lesson and to find out that there
is a God who rules in heaven, and
that he manages, directs and con-
trols the affairs of the human family.
We are not our own rulers ; we are
all the children of God ; he is our
Father and has a right to direct us,
not only us, but has a perfect right
to direct and control the affairs of all
the human family that exists upon
the face of the earth, for they are all .
his offspring. Now, he feels kindly
towards them and knows what kind
IIG
JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES
of people they are, and also what we
are, and he would do everything he
could for them even if in his al-
mighty wisdom he has to kill them
off in order to save them. He
destroyed the antediluvian world on
that account, because they were not
filling the measure of their creation.
They had corrupted themselves to
such an extent that it would have
been an injustice to the spirits in the
eternal worlds if they had to come
through such a corrupt lineage to be
subject to all the trouble, incident
thereunto, and therefore God
destroyed them. He cut off the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in
consequence of their corruptions,
and by and by he will shake all the
inhabitants of the earth, he will
shake thrones and will overturn
empires and desolate the land and
lay millions of the human family in
the dust. Plagues and pestilence
will stalk through the earth because
of the iniquities of men, because of
some of these corruptions that
Brother Joseph F. Smith has briefly
hinted at, namely, the perversion of
the laws of nature between the sexes,
and the damnable murders that exist
among men.
Not long ago, I was called upon
by some intelligent, or those who
profess to be intelligent men, who
asked me something about polygamy.
" How is it with you," said I ; "do
you know that in this land of yours
you are murdering hundreds of thou-
sands of infants every year 1 Do you
know that you have among you peo-
ple who are considered the most
iashionable and honorable that are
murderers, who destroy the life that
God has given before and afterbirth,
and interfere with the laws of the
Almighty. Do you know that they
are doing that 1 " Yes, we believe
they are doing it." " Do you know
that you are wallowing in corruption
and degradation, and that your
social evils and other damnable
corruptions that exist are spreading
and permeating through all your
society f "Yes." "Well, yoa
please go and attend to your own
affairs. It certainly does not look
well for you who hail from these
sinks of infamy and degradation to
preach morality to us. Please attend
to your own affairs first and get
them straightened out before you
come to correct us." Yet these very
people, these lascivious men sitting
upon the bench and pleading in the
courts will arraign honorable men
for obeying a law of God. Will we
obey it 1 In the name of Israel's
God we will. (The congregation
said " Amen.") We will carry out
his purposes, we will obey his
behests, we will, with his help,
abide his law, and our persecutors
cannot help themselves, for God will
put a hook into their jaws and he
will lead them whithersoever he will
and put a stop to their career by
and bye. But he will look in kind-
ness upon Zion and honor those who
honor and obey' his law.
Now these are my feelings in rela-
tion to these things. We ought to
observe the laws of God. The Lord
has taken a great deal of pains to
bring us where we are and to give
us the information we have. Ho
came himself, accompanied by his
Son Jesus, to the Prophet Joseph
Smith. He didn't send anybody but
came himself, and introducing hi&
Son, said : This is my beloved Son^
hear him." And he permitted the
ancient prophets, apostles and men.
of God that existed in different agea
to come and confer the keys of their
several dispensations upon the pro-
phet of the Lord, in order that he
should be endowed and imbued with
the power and Spirit of God, with
the light of revelation and the eter-
BTERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
117
nal principles of the everlasting
Gospel, and that the keys committed
to him, might, through him, be con-
ferred upon others, and that the
principles of eternal truth as they
exist in the heavens, might extend
to the nations of the earth, that
these degrading, loathsome, damning
principles might cease, that his peo-
ple might be gathered to Zion from
the four corners of the earth, and
learn his laws. Says Jesus in his
parable of the good shepherd, " and
the sheep hear his voice, and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and
ieadeth them out. And when he
putteth forth his own sheep he goeth
before them and the sheep follow
him; for they know his voice."
Now, he has brought us together
here. Whose sheep are we ? Says
Jesus, •* I pray for them : I pray not
for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me ; for they are
thine. # ♦ *
Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on
me through their word. That they
all may be one ; as thou. Father, art
in me and I in thee, that they also
may be one in us : that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me."
He has gathered us together here
for what? To teach us his law
through the medium of the Holy
Priesthood. Jesus, in sending forth
his disciples in former times said
unto them, ** He that receiveth you
receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me."
Now, God has ordained his Holy
Priesthood upon the earth with
presidents, apostles, bishops, high
councils, seventies, high priests, and
the order and organization of the
Church and kingdom of God in its
fulness and completeness, more
complete perhaps, than it ever
was since the world was
framed. Whyl BecausQ it is the
dispensation of the fulness of times,
embracing all other times that have
ever existed since the world was,
and he has gathered us together for
that purpose. Is it to sow and plant
and try to make ourselves comfort-
able and to follow the customs of the
world in their corruptions and to
wallow in infamy and rob and plun-
der one another, acting deceitfully
and impurely without any regard to
virtue or any of the laws that govern
the Church and kingdom of Godi
No. But that we might be a pecu-
liar people full of the light of truth
and intelligence and revelations of
God ; that we might be a people
having no longer ncQd of the oral
law or the written law, but a people
upon whose hearts the law of God
shall be written and engraven as in
characters of living fire, being under
the inspiration and guidance of the
Almighty, walking according to the
principles of eternal truth, and being
led in the paths of life ; being united
with God and his Son Jesus Christ
and with the ancient patriarchs and
apostles and men of God, operating
with them in the building up of
Zion, in establishing the kingdom of
God upon the earth, and in spread-
ing salvation to the ends of the
earth. This is what he has brought
us here for. And also that we
might build temples to officiate in
them for the living and the dead,
and that we might go forth to the
nations of the earth, carrying the
glad tidings of peace ; and that we
might be as a city set upon a hill
that cannot be hid ; and that being
in unison with God and the patri-
archs and apostles, we might draw
down the light and intelligence of
heaven upon the earth to enable us
to operate with them according to
the principles of justice and equity
and the laws of life and every princi-
ple connected with the salvation of
118
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
the human family, and that we might
go on from strength to strength
from intelligence to intelligence,
until we shall be capable of
enjoying a celestial glory and
shall be prepared to enter therein ;
and until all that shall be prepared
to have a celestial glory shall enjoy
that, and those who are prepared for
the terrestrial glory to have that,
and also the telestial to enjoy what
belongs to them, and that we may
co-operate with God in the eternal
worlds and the intelligences of
heaven for the accomplishment of
this object. And that while they
operate in the heavens, we may
operate for them upon the earth.
This is what we are here for as I
understand it.
What else] Make settlements;
break loose. Some of you are cry-
ing " give us room." There is
plenty of room, and in making these
settlements we want to carry with
us the principles of the Gospel and
plant them in different places. We
are sending out persons into the
north-east of this Territory, and we
want them to go filled with the
Holy Ghost and the spirit of the
living God. And we are sending
some to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho
and other places, and we will stretch
out further and further. Zion*s
cords shall be lengthened and her
stakes shall be strengthened until
her armies shall become mighty and
numerous and until God shall say
to the Gentiles, it is enough, and
then God will give the government
into our hands.
We have come to set you and to
talk with you. We want to see you
at your own homes. These railroads
whisk us by at such a rapid rate
that many times we have not time
to stop and visit with you. But we
thought this time we would come
with our own carriages and visit the
people in their own homes and talk
with them and see how they fed
and that they may judge of our feel-
ings with regard to the building up
of the kingdom of God upon the
earth. You elders of Israel — and
there are many in this congregation
— let me ask you — ^Do you have
prayers in your family 1 (Turning
round and addressing Bishop Har-
rington, the speaker said ) : May I
act as teacher for a little while 1
The Bishop — ^Yes, we will be glad
to have you.
The speaker — ^Well, then, I will
repeat the question — Do you have
prayers in your family 1 (A voice in
the congregation. Yes.) And when
you do, do you go through the opera-
tion like the guiding of a piece of
machinery; or do you bow in meek-
ness and with a sincere desire to
seek the blessing of God upon you
and your household 1 That is the
way that we ought to do, and culti-
vate a spirit of devotion and trust in
God, dedicating ourselves to him,
and seeking his blessings.
Here is one brother says he does.
But how is it with the balance of us]
J am talking to all of you. Hus-
bands, do you love your wives and
treat them right, or do jou think
that you yourselves are some great
Moguls who have a right to crowd
upon them ] They are given to you
as a part of yourself, and you ought
to treat them with all kindness, with
mercy and long suffering, and not be
harsh and bitter, or m any way
desirous to display your authority.
Then, you wives, treat your hus-
bands right, and try to make them
happy and comfortable. Endeavor
to make your homes a little heaven,
and try to cherish the good Spirit of
God. Then let us as parents train
up our children in the fear of God
and teach them the laws of life. If
you do, we will have peace in our
STERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.
110
bosoms, peace in our famiUes and
peace in our surroundings. Have
we any difficulty with our neigh-
bors] Why, Gentiles strive to
avoid that. Cannot we pass by
some of these hard words, as the old
man used to say when a child would
come to a big word, " Pass it by, my
dear, and call it a hard word."
When you come across a hard word,
pass it by ; don't utter it.
Nay, speak no ill;
A kindly word can never leave a sting
behind.
Let us treat one another with kind-
ness and one another's reputation
with respect, and feel after one
another's welfare, treating every-
body as we would like God to treat
us. And then, when we come to
the Lord, we can say, " Father, for-
give us our trespasses, as we forgive
them that trespass against us ;*' for
if we do uot forgive our brother, how
can we expect our heavenly Father
to forgive us 1 If we have had any
difficulty with our neighbor, let us
endeavor to make it right. Say,
"Brother or sister so and so, my
conscience rather troubles me about
something 1 sai<i about you or did
to you, or som6 deal I had in which
I got the advantage of you, and I
have come to make it riglit, for I am
determined to do right, no matter
what other people do." And let us
all seek after one another's welfare.
If we can help one another, let us do
it — financially or socially — ^and don't
betray one another. Some people,
some poor, miserable — 1 don't care
to say a hard word — I will call them
sneaks, they will try, because a man
has married a wife according to the
laws of God, to bring an accusation
against him. Such men will be
damned and such women will be
damned. Do you know that, when
these miserable sneaks come into
your house on every kind of pretence.
perhaps to sell wagons or machinery
of some kind, in the midst of their
conversation they are known to ask
such questions as " how many wives
has your husband got 1" Poor, low
miserable sneaks. Kick them out
of your house, have nothing to do
with such low, infernal trash.
While we treat good men aright,
kick such villains out of your house,
they have no business among decent
people. We do not want them.
Tell them to attend to their own
affairs and let our business alone.
Tell them to go back where they
came from, we do not want them
among decent people. These are
my feelings. That's saying a pretty
hard word. It is such a word,
though, as suits such people, for there
is no decent word that's appropriate
for such contemptible beings.
Be true to one another, respect
another's reputation. And then,
you elders, treat one another as
gentlemen with courtesy and kind-
ness. And you ladies treat one
another as ladies, and, old gentle-
men, treat ladies as ladies, ana you,
old ladies, treat the gentlemen as
gentlemen.
I feel to tell a little story about
Bishop Hunter. Most of you know
Dr. Sprague. He was sent by
President Young t© see brother
Hunter, when on the frontier many
years ago. The doctor had a squeaky
kind of a voice. He says (imitating
the doctor), " Does Brother Hunter
live here 1 Bishop Hunter replied
(the speaker imitating the Bishop's
voice), " My name is Hunter." Doc-
tor Sprague : ** President Young has
sent me to see if you were sick, and
if so he waited me to administer to
you." Bishop Hunter: "Physician
heal thyself." Doctor Sprague :
Well, sir, I feel just like two clap
boards stucktogether." Then he say^
" Is this your old woman, Brother
120 JOURNAL OF raSCOURS£S.
Hunter.'* Bishop Hunter: "This is your president and bishops should
Mrs. Hunter. Mrs. Hunter is a , pray for the people. Treat one ano-
lady, she is not an old woman, sir." ther with JnnHnftga and courtesy,
When you meet with women, treat and let us all feel we are the sons
them as ladies, and have everybody | and daughters of Grod, living our
else do the same. We can afford to religion and obeying his command-
treat everybody right, that is, every ; meuts, following the counsels of the
decent body, but these sneaks we do i holy priesthood, and seek for the
not want anything to do with — ^poor . blessings of Crod upon us and upon
miserable beings who go around pre our posterity. Never mind what
tending to do business, but whose . other people do. We will go on
real purpose is to obtain information ; aud take a course in everything
that they may inform upon you, to | calculated to promote the happiness
whom ? To men who are as wicked, i of the human family, and Zion will
treacherous, lascivious and degraded i grow and spread until the kingdoms
as the devil in helL What for 1 1 of this world become the kingdoms
To destroy you. Will you receive t of our Lord and his Christ, and the
such misei-able sneaks in your midst? laws that God has introduced will
Tell them to go ahont their business. : prevail and his will be done upon
Let us live our religion, keep the the earth as it is done in heaven,
commandments of God, pursue a and every creature be heard to say,
right course, and God will bless us. *' Blessing and honor and glory and
I ask God the etenial Father to bless power be unto him that sitteth upon
you and lead you in the paths of the throne and unto the Lamb for
life. I say to you, respect the conn- ever and ever," and we will join in
sels of those over you ; Brother . the universal chorus. God help us
Smoot as your president ; listen to to be faithful in the name of Jesus
him, listen to • the counsels of the ' Christ. Amen,
bishop and pray for him. And then ,
NO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC.
121
DISCOUESE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered In The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
June 6th, 1880.
(Repoi'ted by John Irvine.)
NO man can build up the church of CHRIST WITHOUT THE PRIEST-
HOOD — RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD — CHRIST COMING IN THIS
GENERATION — GREAT CHANGES AND JUDGMENTS APPROACHING —
EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
I have a desire to be heard in
what I say to this assembly. I
know the difficulties there are in
speaking here. It requires not only
attention, but quietude among the
people.
I feel disposed to read a few verses
from the good old book the Bible —
some of the sayings of Isaiah and
Ezekiel. [The speaker then read
from the 12th chapter of Ezekiel,
from the 2 1st to the end of the chap-
ter.] I have (the speaker continued)
a few reflections upon my mind that
I would like to lay before the Latter-
day Saints, especially those who
bear the holy priesthood. Among
the lessons which we are learning
in our day and time is this one truth :
that we all of us need the spirit of
revelation in order that we may
teach mankind of the things of God.
I do not believe myself there ever
was a man lived in the flesh on the
earth, in any day or age of the
world, no matter what his position,
calling, name, or age might be — I do
not believe any man ever had the
power to do the work of God, to
build up his kingdom or to edify
the souls of men, without inspiration
and revelation ; for the Lord has
never called any man in any age of
the world to do any of this kind of
work, whether to preach the Gospel,
to prophesy, or to declare the word
of the Lord to the inhabitants of the
earth, or t© administer in any ordi-
nance in any temple or in any
tabernacle, without the holy priest-
hood. TJiere are no ordinances
acceptable in the sight of God of
any force after death or in the eter-
nal worlds except those ordinances
that are performed b)'* men bearing
the holy priesthood. Our
heavenly Father himself
has officiated by this principle in the
creation of all worlds, in the redemp-
tion of all worlds, and in all the
the work which lie has performed ;
it has all been done by the power of
the Godhead and the holy priest-
hood, which is without beginning of
days or end of years. This priest-
hood has power with the heavens.
It has association with the heavens.
The heavens are connected with this
priesthood, let it rest upon the
shoulders or head of any man,
whether it be Jesus Christ, or those
fishermen, or the ancient patriarchs
or 2>rophets or Joseph Smith, or any
other man who is called of God as
was Aaron, by revelation, and pro-
phecy to bear record of the name of
122
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
God in any age of the world. There-
fore, I occupy the same position my-
self. I know I need the Spirit of
God. I know you do. I know any
man does who rises on this stand,
and attempts to teach the people.
You give a man the inspiration of
Almighty God and the eternal
truths of heaven and he can instruct
and edify the children of men upon
the principles of life and salvation ;
without this he cannot do it. And
in order to present to my brethren
and sisters and friends the subject
that I have on my mind, I will just
refer a little further to some words
of the Lord to the Prophet Ezekiel,
erhe speaker again referred to the
ook of Ezekiel, and quoted from
the 9th, 14th and 33rd chapters, all
of parts quoted having reference to
the dealings of God with the wicked.]
Continuing, Elder Woodruff said :
Now, having quoted all these
passages of Scripture, I want to say
to my brethren the apostles, the
high priests, the seventies, the elders
of Israel, who bear the holy priest-
hood, upon whose shoulders the God
©f heaven, in this day and genera-
tion has placed the responsibility of
the Melchesidec and Aaronic priest-
hood ; has placed the responsibility
of this great and last dispensa-
tion, the fulness of times, and
the building up of the great kingdom
of God which Daniel saw by revela-
tion, vision and inspiration in his
day and generation as proclaimed by
all the prophets and apostles who
have written in this book, in the
stick of Judah as well as in the
stick of Joseph and other revelations
given to us through the mouth of
the prophets and apostles in our day
and generation — I want to ask in
the face of all this — and 1 take it
home to myself — what position are
we in before high heaven, before
God the Father, before his Son Jesus
Christ, before the heavenly hosts,
before all justified spirits aade per-
fect from the creation of the world
to this day? What condition are
we in as the servants of the living
God, men holding the holy priest-
hood into whose hands the God ©f
Israel has given this kingdom. Are
we disseminating the mighty flood
of revelation and prophecy in these
records and these books which are
now to rest upon the generation as
in the days of Noah and Lot. In
this respect are we justified in the
sight of God, in the sight of heaven,
in the sight of angels, and in the
sight of men] Can we fold our
arms in peace and cry "all is peace
in Zion," when, so far as we have
the power of the priesthood resting
upon us, we can see the condition of
the world? Can we imagine that
our garments will be clean without
lifting our voice before our fellow-
men and warning them of the things
that are at their doors] No, we
cannot. There never was a set of
men since God made the world
under a stronger responsibility to
warn this generation, to lift up our
voices long and loud, day and night
so far as we have the opportunity
and declare the words of God unto
this generation. We are required
to do this. This is our calling. It
is our duty. It is our business.
We have had to perform this work
for the last 60 years of our lives.
When the Lord called Joseph Smith
to lay the foundation of the Church
he called him in fulfilment of many
revelations given in other dispensa-
tions to men. He was preserved by
the hand of God to come forth in
the last days, even in the dispensa-
tion of the fulness of times. He
was a prophet of the living God.
He was a prophet, seer and revela-
tor. The Lord called upon him to
do the work for which he was
KO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC.
1^
ordained before the foundation of
this world. He did all that was
required of him, and he was sur-
rounded with thousands of men who
were acquainted with his life, and
with the Spirit and power of God
which rested upon him, and who
sustained him in life and in death.
We know he was a prophet of God,
and we know he brougnt forth the
istick of Joseph, the Book of Mormon,
which was given unto him by the
angel of God. This Church and
kingdom has been organized by the
command of God and by the revela-
tions of heaven. It has continued
to grow and increase, and has been
upheld by the Lord Almighty, from
its organization until the present
hour. And when I kok at this
Tabernacle and think of the words
of the prophet Isaiah, "that the
mountain of the Lord's house shall
be established in the tops of the
mountains ;" when I look at these
everlasting hills and the land given
by promise to Father Jacob and his
posterity ; when I see this barren
desert peopled by 150,000 Saints of
the living God who have been
gathered from nearly every nation
under heaven through the proclam-
ation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
— what can I say about it ] Can I
say it is a dream 1 Can I say that
it is all a vision ? Can I say that
this work is of man and not of Godi
Can I say these are revelations and
prophecies which belong to some
other generation 1 I tell you no.
This is the kingdom of God. Here
are the Saints of God. These moun
tains are being filled with the
Latter-day Saints from every nation
under heaven, and with these things
before me I know that it is my duty
to preach the Gospel, to warn Saints
and sinners wherever I have the
opportunity. The Lord told Joseph
Smith that he would prove us in all
things, whether we would abide in
his covenant even unto death,
that we might be found worthy.
The prophet sealed his testimony
with his blood. That testimony is
in force upon all the world and has
been from the day of his death.
Not one word of the Lord shall
pass away unfulfilled. The unbelief
in this generation will make no
difference with regard to the build-
ing up of the kingdom of God. As
it was in the days of Noah so shall
also the coming of the S©n of Man
be. Therefore, I desire to ask my
brethren, the elders of Israel — ^and I
ask myself at the same time — do we
understand our position before the
Lord 1 ' Ezekiel has passed away.
He is in the spirit world. He has
received his resurrected body and
stands at the right hand of God
with other prophets and apostles
who lived in days gone by. They
had their day and generation. All
these patriarchs and prophets and
apostles had a time to prophesy, to
preach, to labor, and to administer
in the ordinances of life and salva-
tion. Now, in this last dispensation,
ye elders of Israel, this work has
been put into your hands. . There-
fore what shall we say, and what
shall we do 1 Are we acting as
watchmen upon the walls of Zion 1
If we are, are we justified in closing
our mouths, in closing our ears, or
in setting our hearts upon anything
else excepting the building up of the
kingdom of Godi I do not think
we are. In my view our responsi-
bility is very great. We should
live our religion. We should prac-
tise ourselves what we preach. We
should treasure up the words of life.
We should search the records of
divine truth. We should seek to
comprehend the day and age in
which we live. This is the way I
look upon our situation to-day. I
12i
JoUilNAL OF DISCOUUSES.
do not look upon the revelations
recorded in theoe books, touching
tke dispensation of the fulness of
times, as something that will pass
away unfulfilled. We live in a
generation when great changes are
about to take place. We live in a
time when darkness covers the whole
earth and gross darkness the people.
The world are a great way from the
truth. Infidelity overwhelms the
earth, in fact it is a hard matter to-
day to get either priest or people,
sect or party, of any name or deno-
mination under heaven to believe in
the literal fulfillment of the Bible,
as translated in the days of King
James, which contains the revela-
tions given from the days of Father
Adam down to our own time, and
which point out to us the signs of
heaven and earth indicating the
coming of the Son of Man. We live
in the generation itself when Jesus
Christ will come in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory.
We live in the generation when the
Gospel of Jesus Christ has been
revealed in its fulness to the Gentiles,
and when the Gospel of Christ will
go to the House of Israel, to the
descendants of Lehi, in fulfilment of
that which is recorded in their
records in the 9th, 10th and 11th
chapters of the last book of Nephi.
These prophets spake by the power
of God and the inspiration of the
Holy Ghost, and as the apostle says,
"!No prophecy of the Scripture is of
any private interpretation. For the
prophecy came not in old time by
the will of man ; but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost." I feel therefore
to say to ray brethren who bear the
holy priesthood, and I say it to my-
self and to all — I do not think we
have much time to lie down and
slumber.. We have no time to specu-
late in tiying to get rich in try-
ing to accumulate gold and silver.
What we have got to do is to build
up the kingdom of God. As
apostles, high priests, elders, seventies
and the lesser priesthood, we are
bound together by this new and
everlasting Gospel and covenant; we
are called to perform the great and
mighty work of building up Zion, of
building temples wherein we may
labor for the living and the dead,
and we should live in that way and
manner that we may be governed
and controlled at all times by the
Holy Spirit.
I know very well how the world
look at these things. As I said be-
fore, the wurld is far from the Lord.
We ourselves are too far from the
Lord as a people. We ought to
draw near to the Lord, and labor to
obtain the Holy Spirit, so that when
we read the revelations of God we
may read them by the same Spirit
by which they were given. Then
we can understand their purport
when given to the children of men.
The Lord has said by the mouth
of the Prophet Isaiah, that he would
proceed to do a marvelous work and
a wonder ; and when I look at the
rise and progress of this Church,
when I behold the great work the
Lord has performed, it was a marvel-
ous work and a wonder indeed.
There never has been, in my view,
any generation in which the same
amount of prophecies and important
events have to be fulfilled as in the
generation in which we live. Joseph
Smith, an illiterate boy, was raised
up by the power of God. His
teachers were the angels of heaven.
He was administered unto by the
Son of God. He received the
Aaronic priesthood of John the
Baptist, who was beheaded for the
testimony of Jesus Christ. He
received the apostleship and Melchi-
zedek Priesthood under the hands of
NO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC.
125
Peter, James and John, who were
also put to death for the word and
testimony of Jesus Christ. He made
use of these ordinances by the com-
mandment of God. He organized
the Church and kingdom of God ;
he did that which all the wisdom of
the sectarian world could never
have comprehended. He established
the only church on the face of the
earth according to the ancient order
of the Church of Jesus Christ, with
apostles, prophets, teachers, gifts,
helps, governments, baptism for the
remission of sins, the laying of hands
for the reception of the Holy Ghost
— an organization which has not !
existed on the earth from the d&y
the ancient apostles were put to
death, and the holy priesthood taken
from the earth, until the present.
This Church has continued to rise.
It is the only true church upon the
face of the whole earth. Its history
is before the world. It has con-
tinued to grow and increase from the
day it was organized until the pres-
ent time. This is the Zion of God.
We see an embryo of it in these
valleys of the mountains, and it is
designed by the Most High God to
stand on the earth in power and
glory and dominion, as the prophets
of God saw it in their day and genera-
tion. This is the kingdom that
Daniel saw, and it will continue to
roll forth until it fills the whole
earth. These are eternal truths,
whether the world believe or dis-
believe them, it matters not, the
truths cannot be made of non-effect.
This is certainly a strange work and
a wonder. There has been every
exertion made to stay it. Armies
have been sent forth to destroy this
people ; but we have been upheld
and sustained by the hand of the
Lord unto to-day.
And now I desire to bear my tes-
timony. I have no fears, my brethren
and sisters — and I say the same to
our nation, to all kings, queens,
emperors, presidents and govern-
ments of this world — I have no fears
with regard to " Mormonism," and
and the ultimate triumph of the
kingdom of God ; because the Lord
Almighty has said that the nation
and kingdom that will not serve him
shall perish and be utterly wasted
away. If this had not been the
Zion of God it would not have stood
so long as it has done. This king-
dom, however, has not been organ-
ized by the power of man but by the
power of God, and whatever God
undertakes to do he will carry out.
I have therefore no fear of this king-
dom. It was ordained to come forth
before the world was made; and the
Lord never undertook a dispensation
of this kind without due preparation
before he commenced. He had
material in the spirit world who
would in time be raised up to carry
on this kingdom. I have no fears
about this work being accomplished,
but I have fears about many of the
Latter-day Saints ; because if we
have the holy priesthood upon our
heads and do not live our religion,
of all men we are under the greatest
condemnation. We have baptized a
great many into this Church and
kingdom — not many, certainly,
when eompared to the twelve hun-
dred million inhabitants of the earth.
— ^but a great many have apostatized.
What ! Latter-day Saints aposta-
tize 1 Yes. I tell you people will
apostatize who have received the'holy
priesthood and Gospel of Jesus
Christ, if they do not honor God, if
they do not keep his commandments,
obey his laws and humble them-
selves before the Lord ; they are in
danger every day of their lives.
Look at the number of devils we
have, round about us ! We have I
should say, one hundred to every
126
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
man, woman and child. One third
part of the heavenly host was cast
down to the earth with Lucifer, son
of the morning, to war against us —
which I suppose will number one
hundred million devils — and they
labor to overthrow all the Saints and
the kingdom of God. They even
tried to overthrow Jesus Christ ;
they overthrew Judas, and they
have succeeded in overthrowing a
good many Latter-day Saints, who
had a name and standing among us,
who undertook to build themselves
up instead of the Kingdom of God.
and when men having this priesthood
— I do not care whether it was in
the days of Adam, in the days of
Moses, in the days of Joseph Smith,
or in the days of Brigham Young, I
care not in what day they lived — if
they bore this priesthood and under-
took to use it for any other purpose
th^n the building up of the kingdom
of God, then amen to the power and
priesthood of such men.
The Lord will have a people to
carry on his purposes who will obey
and serve him. He has a good many
people in this day and age of the
world, who will be faithful unto
death, whether called to seal their
testimony with their blood or not.
He has a people who will maintain
his work while they are here. But
here is the danger, ye Latter-day
Saints, and the Savior saw it very
plainly, and has left it on record in the
earth : He compared the kingdom of
God unto ten virgins, which took
their lamps and went forth to meet
the bridegroom. " And five of them
were wise and five were foolish.
They that were foolish took their
lamps and took no oil with them ;
But the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. While the bride-
groom tarried, they all slumbered
and slept. And at midnight there
was a cry made, Behold the bride-
^oom cometh ; go ye out to meet
him. Then all those virgins arose
and trimmed their lamps. And the
foolish said unto the wise. Give us
of your oil ; for our lamps are gone
out But the wise answered saying,
Not so ; lest there be not enough for
us and you ; but go ye rather to them
that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came, and they that were
ready went in with him to the mar-
riage ; and the door was shut.
Afterwards came also the other
virgins, saying. Lord, Lord, open to
us. But he answered and said.
Verily I say unto you, I know you
not." Now, those who have got oil
in their lamps, are men who live
their religion, pay their tithing, pay
their debts, keep the commandments
of God, and do not blaspheme his
name ; men and women who will
not sell their birthright tor a mess
a pottage or for a little gold or silver;
these are those that will be valiant
in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This is the way I feel to-day. I
feel to warn my brethren and sisters,
the Latter-day Saints, to live their
religion, to trim their lamps, because
as the Lord lives, his word will be
fulfilled. The coming of Jesus is
nigh at the door. These judgments
that I have read will come to pass,
and though Brigham, Joseph, Noah,
Daniel and Job, or anybody else
were in the land, they could not
do more than deliver their own souls
by their righteousness. The man
that is righteous cannot save the
wicked. We have got to live our own
righteousness, that is keep the com-
mandments of God.
We are approaching changes.
There are judgments at our dooh
There are judgments at the door of
this nation, and at the door of G^reat
Babylon. How do the world feel
to-day T How does our nation feel 1
NO MAN CAN BUILD, ETC.
127
Something similar to Belshazzar, the
king. On the night that he drank
out of the golden and silver vessels,
with his princes and his wives, he
thought, " Well. I made this coun-
try. I made this city. I am the
god of this country ;" but when the
Lord Almighty manifested his dis-
pleasure by the writing on the wall,
the scene was changed. Hia king-
dom was broken up and given to the
Medes and Persians. His greatness,
bis gold and silver did not save him.
In the same way the Lord in ancient
days swept away great cities when
they were fripened in iniquity.
Jerusalem was overthrown in fulfil-
ment of the words of the Lord.
Jeremiah and Isaiah prophesied what
would come to pass, and it was ful-
filled to the very letter. So I say
to the Gentiles, so I say to the
Latter-day Saints. What the Lord
has spoken concerning our nation,
ana concerning the nations of the
earth, notwithstanding that the
unbelief of the world may be great,
notwithstanding that they may
reject the word of God and seek to
put the servants of God to death —
will all be fulfilled. War, pestilence,
famine, earthquakes and storms
await this generation. These calami-
ties will overtake the world as God
lives, and no power can prevent
them. Therefore I say to the elders
of Israel, be faithful. We have had
the priesthood given to us, and if we
fail to use it right, we shall be
brought under condemnation.
Therefore, let us round up our
shoulders and bear off the kingdom.
Let us labor to obtain the Holy
Spirit — and power of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ — which has been put
iatp our hands, and inasmuch as we
do this, the blessing of God will
attend our efforts.
We have been here a number of
years. We have preached the Gospel
and labored to build up this king-
dom. Many have been associated
with this Church almost from the
beginning. Many have been taken
away. Joseph and Hyrum sealed
their testimony with their blood.
Many have passed to the other side
of the vail, and many others of us
will soon follow them ; but I do not
want when I get there to have it
said, ** When you were in the flesh
you had the priesthood, you liad the
power to rebuke sin, but you wbre
not man enough to chastise the
ungodly." Neither do I want my
relatives to rise up and say "You had
the power to do a work for the
redemption of the dead, but you
have neglected these things." I do
not want these things to rise up
against me. As for gold and silver,
they are of very little account com-
pared Ivith eternal life. When we
die we must leave the riches of this
world behind. We were born naked
and we will go out of the world in
the same condition. We cannot
take with us houses, gold, silver, or
any of this world's goods. We will
even leave our tabernacles for some-
body to bury. Our spirits must
appear in the presence of God, and
there receive our reward for the
deeds done in the body.
Therefore, I pray God my heaven-
ly Father to enable us to live our
religion, to labor for light and truth
that we may not work in the dark;
to live nearer and nearer the Lord
and be prepared for that which is to
come, and eventually gain eternal
life, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ. Amen.
128
JOURNAL OF DISOOURSBS.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, September 7th, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
ON THE BOOK OF MORMON — ^DESTINY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND
THE SAINTS.
It is with feelings of thanksgiving
to my Father who is in heaven, that
I stand before you this afternoon,
after having been absent from this
place for some nine months that are
past.
I suppose that the Latter-day
Saints who are congregated here,
understand the object of the mission
which was given to me, to go to
Great Britain, and there get the
pages of the Book of Mormon, and
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
electrotyped, with double sets of
plates, for the purpose of spreading
forth copies of these works, among
the inhabitants of the earth by hun-
dreds of thousands. I therefore,
feel very much pleased to have the
privilege of bearing testimony to you,
that I have, through the blessing of
the Lord, been enabled to finish
or complete the work that was given
me to do, in relation to these two
standard works of our j^Church.
Had it not been for the Book of
Mormon this territory would not be
occupied by a people called the
Latter-day Saints. That lies at the
foundation of the work of the last
days, in which we are engaged. All
of you are acquainted, if you have
endeavored to exercise your judg-
ment and your capacities as intelli-
gent beings, with the nature of that
book. If you are not acquainted
with it you certainly ought to be.
We all ought to inform ourselves
concerning every principle that is
contained in that record. We ought
to make ourselves very familiar also,
with the Book that is called the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
given by divine revelation in the
generation in which we are per-
mitted to live. These two books, we
as a people, esteem to be as sacred
as any other revelations which were
ever given to the human family.
We look upon the Book of Mormon
as a very precious record, — ^a
precious blessing to the people who
live in this dispensation, a divine
work, — ^a divine revelation. It has
now been before the world almost
to years, being published over 49
years ; and the whole world, if they
had seen proper to inform them-
selves, concerning the nature of the
work, could have been blessed with
the privilege. It is a work which
the Lord our God has commenced
by his own power. The book was
not written by the wisdom of man,
by the inspiration of man, but it was
written by the commandment of the
Most High God. It was written as
revealed to a young man, the
founder of this Church, under the
divine influence of the Holy Spirit.
ON THE BOOK OF HORHON, ETC.
m
This young man being inspired of
God, and having revelations
granted to him from heaven, had
the privilege of bringing forth
this sacred record to this gene-
ration. The record was trans-
lated, as the Latter-day Saints under-
stand, and as the world generally
have been informed, by revelation,
hy the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
through the aid of an instrument that
was used anciently and called the
Urim and Thummim. The Lord
did not, in revealing this work to
us, require us to receive it blindly
and enthusiastically, but to receive
it on good, substantial, sound evi-
dence, such as we cannot controvert,
such as we cannot contradict — evi-
dence that no reasonable person,
having the common reasoning facul-
ties of man, can consistently reject.
The Lord did not raise up this
Church — did not commence its
foundation, until he revealed this
Book ; and in the revelation of this
Book, he fulfilled many predictions,
made in ancient days, by the mouth
of the Jewish prophets, and also the
apostles that succeeded the Jewish
prophets. They spake as they were
moved upon by Sie Holy Ghost;
and they predicted that such a work
would come forth in the latter times ;
and if this is not the work, as the
world say it is not, then we are to
look forward to the day when a
similar work will be brought forth
by the power of Almighty God ;
for the events predicted by the mouth
of the prophets, recorded in . the
Jewish Bible, never can be fulfilled,
never can be brought to pass, unless
a work of a |(imilar description, to
the one that has been presented to
the people ot the nineteenth century
shall come forth.
The Book of Mormon, we say* is
just. as sac;red as the Bible — ^the Old'
aipd )Sew Testanients. We cannot
m 9.
I see any reason why we should ex-
clude all other books from the com-
piled books of the Jewish Bible. We
have nothing in the compiled woAs
of the Bible (King James' transla-
tion), we have no declarations in this
Book, that the canon of Scripture
should be full at the close of the
fourth century of the Christian era.
We have no declarations in this
Book, that about 400 years after
Christ there should be a church or
people on the earth that should
collect together manuscript books
and call them the Bible, and that
rhat should be a complete revelation
of God*s will ; or that there were no
other sacred books in existence, only
what the Catholic church, at the
close of the fourth century, happen-
ed to collect together.
We believe that God is the God
of all nations, as well as the God of
the Jews. We believe that he did
not confine his divine power and the
inspiration of his Spirit to one little
spot of our globe ; although he did
work wonderfully, and in a marvel-
ous manner, in the land of Palestine
among the Jews, and did shew forth
his power by raising up prophfets,
and Jrevelators, and apostles, '.yet
we cannot,' in otir views, limit th*
Almighty, as' the Christian AiittAiis
do, and say that h^ has never spoken
to any other Vfeople. We ftan'riot,
with the intelligence and light that
God has given to us, say thalHlie
Bible is the only revelation of'Qfad
to misin. We believe that he ttim^
all nations, and all th^'iithsllbita'&ts
of the 'earth. 'We bfefifere^'tliali4i«
had' as inubh l^egard for the ten
tribes, iafter'they revolted frO|n;i^e
house of Jiidah aiids^^^ecf IJii^.
selves into a'^atstinct niil!ton«-^WF-'
they ^dUkht ; righte^ttsAfess,^ Wla»
had for the^JdWmbdWdtin'iW
salem, aiid itt the Ifi^hlty' of ifhat
greit'cajiitaldlty. Ihd^fed th^ f^rd
130
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
has shown to us that he was no
respecter ©f persons. So far as the
ten tribes were concerned, he had
revealed himself to them. Some of
the greatest prophets that were
raised up in days of old, before the
coming of the Messiah, were pro-
phets that lived among the ten
tribes, who were not Jews : not
included in the house of Judah, or
the two years and a half. For
instance, Elijah, who had such great
power given him from God, that he
could call upon His name and the
heavens, would be shut up so that
there would be no rain fall upon the
€arth, according to his prayer, for
three and a half years. A man with
such faith, that after three and a
half years of great famine, he prayed
for the Lord to send rain, and rain
was given immediately. A man
with such power that when a captain
of fifty with his fifty came to take
him — who mockingly called him a
man of God — he said to the captain,
" If I. be a man of God, let fire come
down from heaven and consume thee
and thy fifty," and it was done,
according to his word. He was not
a Jewish prophet ; he was a prophet
of the ten tribes. A man also that
had such great faith in God, that he
was taken away from the earth, in
a chariot of fire, and wafted to the
abodes of immortaUty, among the
immortal beings. Here then was a
{rophet raised up among another
ranch of the house of Israel Here
was also Elisha, another prophet, not
of the Jews but of the ten tribes.
Were not their revelations just as
sacred as the revelations of the pro-
phets of Judah) They certainly
.^ere ;, and were incorporated in the
Jowidi Bible. "Were there any other
branches of Israel besides those ten
tribes, who dwelt in the northern
purts of the Land of Palestine, and
thft, Je^s t Yes, we read in rarious
parts of this Bible, that many of the
house of Israel were taken away
from the main body who dwelt in
Palestine, and scattered to the four
quarters of the earth. Did God for-
get them and their generations after
them, after they were thus scattered?
I think not. He did not forget
them ; and in the days of their
righteousness, he revealed himselt to
them and to his prophets. And this
great and choice American continent
was once peopled by the seed of
Israel, not the ten tribes or Jewish
nation especially, but a small rem-
nant of one tribe, namely the des-
cendants of Joseph who was carried
into Egypt. These American In-
dians scattered over this great conti-
nent of ours, are the literal descend-
ants of the chosen seed. Now, do
you suppose that the Almighty, who
desires the salvation of the children
of men, would take a company, how-
ever great or small it might be, and
locate them upon such a great and
vast continent as ours, and leave
them without any guidance by reve-
lation from him ) — Cleave them from
generation to generation without
prophets and without revelatorsl
Such an event is inconsistent to my
mind. God, who is no respecter of
persons, who loves all people of all
nations, of all kindreds and tongues,
surely would not thus lead away the
chosen seed, and plant them upon
such a vast continent as ours and
obscure or withdraw himself, leaving
them in total ignorance, without any
revelation from heaven. What is
the Book of Mormon 1 It is their
record, their Bible, their revelations,
their predictions, , their doctrines,
their manifestations and visions, and
their history, the same as the Bible
is the record and history of the Jews.
Why then should it be thomgki
inconsistent with the eharacter •£
God that he should bring^^fortk
ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC.
131
records, so sacred, so great, so
important to join with the testimony
of the Jewish record that the
nations of the last days might have
the testimony of two hemispheres
that God is the same God, that his
doctrines are everlasting, the same
unchangeable Grospel and plan of
salvation, and that his people Israel
were as precious to him on the
western hemisphere as they were on
the eastern, and that the great
atonement which we are now cele-
brating in this house, should not be
shut out from the minds of the peo-
ple in the western hemisphere ? Is
it consistent that this should be the
case 1 There is not a man living,
who will free himself from the tra-
ditions of false doctrines that have
prevailed for many generations, but
what will say it is godlike, it is con-
sistent with the character of the
Almighty to reveal himself to the
western hemisphere as well as to the
great eastern hemisphere, and if he
did this would there be anything
inconsistent that these records should
be brought to light in the last daysl
Is God limited in his power 1 I ap-
peal to the whole of Christendom,
do we as Christians believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and in his Father,
as being limited in their power, and
that people should be left without
divine knowledge, without informa-
tion from heaven, when it is so
easy for them to reveal 1 Is not the
knowledge of God to cover the earth,
according to the prediction of Isaiah
the prophet, as the waters cover
the great deep, before the end shall
come 1 Are not many, in the last
days, to run to and fro, and know-
ledge be increased, and when I speak
of knowledge I mean that know-
ledge which is of God, the know-
ledge revealed from heaven, concern-
ing the great plan of salvation. It
is reasonable, it is consistent, it is in
accordance with the Jewish Bible,
that God should reveal himself and
the plan of salvation to the people of
the latter days, that the knowledge
of God may truly cover the earth as
the waters cover the great deep.
In revealing this additional know-
ledge, will it do any harm? Is
there any church on the face of the
whole earth that is in the least
degree harmed by the additional
revelations sent from heaven ? I
think not. What harm is there in
the Lord's making manifest to the
people in this western hemisphere,
that the same Gospel was preached
to the inhabitants of this land as
was preached to the Jews and the
people of the eastern continent in
ancient daysl Who is harmed
among all the religious denomina-
tions of Christendom, the four hun-
dred millions of Christians, so called,
by the addition of further revelation 1
Did it harm any of the branches of
the church that were anciently
Christian, after they had the Book
of Matthew revealed to them, to be
permitted to have a testimony from
another inspired man, called the
Book of Mark ? I think there was
no harm in Mark's writing hit
Gospel, after Matthew had written
his. It did no harm to the ancient
Christians that Luke should write
his testimony of the Gospel ; that
John should write his, that John
should be permitted to receive a
great prophecy and revelation on the
isle of Patmos. Did that close
revelation from God ] No, because
we find that the Lord inspired John
to write his testimony of the Gospel,
showing that the canon of Scripture
was not closed up when John left Pat-
mos. What harm i s there for another
nation to know about the Prophet Mo-
ses, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
atonement that he made by his own
suffering and death % Would it nol
132
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
be a privilege and bles&ing for the
ancieut inhabitants of America to
be informed concerning the only
•way by which they could be saved
. in the kingdom of God ] The Book
of Mormon records th« fact that
Jesus did appear on this American
continent, after his resurrection
from the dead ; that he did admini-
ster in person, in his immortal body,
after his resurrection, for several
days, in the midst of this remnant
.pf Israel, the forefathers of these
American Indians. What Gospel
did he teach] Did he teach one
Gospel in Asia and another in
ancient America 1 No. If the same
Gospel then is taught, who is
harmed among the four hundred
millions of Christians, by having the
infonnation concerning it ] It seems
to me as if I could imagine the feel-
ing of the strangers that may be
present this afternoon. I can
imagine some one saying, " Oh, it
would be a very beautiful theory, if
v*re could only believe it ; if we only
had testim«ny sufl&cient to believe
what you Latter-day Saints declare,
that the Book of Mormon is actually
' a divine revelation of the Gospel as
u it was preached in ancient America ;
if we knew this fact we could not
denounce it as something that was
calculated in its nature to destroy
, . the peace and happiness ot Christen-
. dom, but we should consider it a
great blessing to the human family
(if we only had the evidence and tes-
timony that the facts are as you
-iatate them." Now I expect these
. thoughts are running through the
• rininds of some individuals here.
Well, now> what must be the
evidence % , What would you
5 naturally suppose would be the kind
of evideniee that the Lord Almighty
* would give to substantiate the
divinity, of a book that id almost
two-thirds as voluminous as the
Jewish Bible] Can you imagiae-
any testimony that ought to be given
to convince the children of men"?
" Well," says one, " if we could only
have it confirmed by the ministration
of angels, that would be an e\'idence,
a great evidence or testimony.""
The inhabitants of this generation,
for nearly fifty years, have had the
testimony of three men, besides the
boy that translated the Book of
Mormon — the testimony of three
witnesses. The Lord would not
suffer his Church to be organized,
would not suffer his servants to build
up this kingdom on the earth — this
ecclesiastical kingdom, until he gave
sufficient evidence uuto three chosen
witnesses, as well as the boy that
translated the work. Their testi-
mony is ^iven, in connection with
the book, and there is no man living
that can contradict their testimony
or can prove it to be untrue. The
witnesses themselves have never
denied their testimony ; and not
onl}'- three other witnesses who saw
the angel, heard the words of his
mouth, saw the glory of his coun-
tenance, and saw the plates — the
original plates from which the !3pok
of Mormon was translated, but also
eight other witnesses who saw tht^
plates, but did not see the angel ;
they saw the plates at another time ;
saw the engravings upon the plates,
handled them with their hands, and
have recorded their testimony.
Hence we have the testimony of the
young man that was called by the
angel to translate and bring forth
the book, and then the testimony of
eleven other witnesses besides. In
the mouth of two or three witnesses^
we are told in the Jewish record,
every word shall be established.
But God saw fit to give twelve
witnesses before the Church of the
Latter-day Saints ever had an exist-
ence on this earth. That certainlj
ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC.
133
ought to be sufficient to begin the
work Teith) to begin to enlighten
tk&'minds of the i^ildren of men,
ccMoerniii? -^sct God ^sa about to
db*tifpon thfe ftcfift^'of tlie ^arkh: Bub
aitS Ve confined to these twelve meri
an^ their testimony 1 Are there no
other means by* which we may for
onrselves come to a knowledge that
this work is divine 1 I will- tell you
how the Lord has provided in a god-
like manner, -just as we would
naturally expedt he would do — that
the children of mea, however weak,
frail, and imperfect in their judg-
ment, if they have the common
sense and* common attainments that
the children of men generally have,
may not only have a faith concern-
ing the truth of this work, founded
on the evidence of others, but also
a knowledge for themselves. And
how is this 1 How can people get
a real knowledge that this Book is
divine 1 Says one : " I should like
to embrace it, but then you are so
unpopular. Still if I knew it to be
true," perhaps some stranger may
say in his heart, " if I knew that
God was the author of it, I would
n«t mind anything about the con-
tumely, or anything about the
unpopularity of the people called
Latter-day Saints." There is a way
to know whether this work be true,
if you will follow the conditions.
And what are the conditions that
God has pointed out, by which we
may receive a knowledffe now as
well as they received a Knowledge
in ancient times, concerning similar
doctrines and principles 1 It is by
obedience to the Gospel of the Son
of Gk)d. The Lord, before he
suffered this Church to be organized
gave authority to his servants to
preach the Gospel and to organize
Ms kingdom on the earth in fulfil-
ment of the ancient prophecies. In
^hneotion with this authority, he
gave them authority to administer
the ordinances of the Gospel to those
that would repent of their sins luuil
believe on the Lord J^sqs Ohiiftltfl
He'^^gave ihm^ not only pow;er' ahde
authority t6 baptize — that -is ■ divined
authority to baptize — ^for the remisH^j
sion of sins, but also to lay their,
hands upon the heads of baptized^
believers and pronounce upon them*
the blessings of the Holy Ghost as
they did in ancient days. This was-
placing the people of this generation'
in a condition to prove whether this
work was divine or not. The elders
were sent forth in the early rise of
this Church, saying unto the people^
" If you will repent of your sins —
if you will turn from everything that
is evil, if you will with all your
hearts enter into a covenant with
the Almighty to obey the Lord of
righteousness, to keep his command*
ments, to do right all your future
days, and will be baptized by the
authority that God has given from
heaven, and also be confirmed by
the laying on of hands, God wiUl
give you the Holy Ghost, and by
this gift of the Holy Ghost yoti
shall know that the Book of Mormon
is a divine revelation, and that tins
is the Church and the kingdom of
the living God." Very many honest
hearted people in the American
Union, in the nation of Great Britain^
in the various nations of Europe,
and upon the islands of the Se%
have tested the truth of this c6m*
mandment of God given unto
his servant in the first rise and
beginning of this Church, Did
they receive the Holy- Ghost S
They testify that they did. They
say, that * by obeying that message
winch you brought^ to us, which ydd
testified that God had sent you t»
preach, the promises you made tn
us are fulfilled. You stated that w»
should receive the Holy Ghoefei
.''7
134
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
We have received it because we have
humbled ourselves before God. We
have been baptized by you. You
stated you held authority. We
believed it from testimony that you
gave us, that such was the case, but
we did not know it. We went forth
and acted upon our faith, and now
we can testify we hrmv you are the
servants of Ged ; for God has ful-
filled the promise which he has given
to us through your word." Thus
scores of thousands have proved the
divinity of this work. You marvel
that this people are so well united.
You marvel that we come out from
the nations of the earth and
assemble ourselves in one. You
marvel what it is that prompts this
people called Latter-day Saints to
come from the lands of their fore-
fathers, from the islands of the Sea,
from distant nations, and assemble
themselves here in this great basin
of North America. It is not man
that has accomplished this work.
It is because you have received the
Holy Ghost that you are here in
these valleys. It is because God
witnessed unto you in your own
lands, before you started upon your
journey that he had again spoken to
the inhabitants of the earth as in
ancient days. You there learned
that this was his true Church, his
true kingdom established upon the
earth as he predicted by the mouth
of his servants, and you felt anxious
to be gathered with the rest of the
Saints that had the same testimony
with you. Hence you gather not
only from choice, but by actual com-
mandment. We do not gather here
merely for the sake of being toge-
ther, but it is because the same God
who rsvealed the Book of Mormon
liy his servant Joseph, the youth of
whom I have spoken — that same
boy received another revelations
which is published in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, which I
now hold in my hand, commanding
the Latter-day Saints to gather out
of all nations of the earth, to this
American continent. Hence yon
came here because you had received
the Holy Ghost. You have come
here because you knew this work
was true. You have come here that
you might fulfil the commandment'
which God gave near the time of the
rise of this Church in relation to
the gathering of his Saints from
among all the nations and kingdoms
of the earth. Has God fulfilled that
which he spoke when we were but a
little handful of people, not number-
ing one hundred souls? He told
us that his people should be
gathered from all quarters of the
earth into one place upon the face
of this great continent. Has he ful-
filled it ] The testimony is before
the eyes not only of the Latter-day
Saints, but the eyes of all people,
nations and tongues, and among the
most distant nations of the earth
concerning the gathering of the peo-
ple called Latter-day Saints. God
has fulfilled his word — this word,
which was given nearly fifty years
ago, as to the gathering of his people,
from the four quarters of the earth*
Now this great work of the last days,
never could be accomplished with-
out this gathering together of the
Saints. There are no other people
fulfilling it. For instance, take the
Roman Catholics ; they were not
gathering from all parts of the earth.
Take the Greek Church; they do
not come out from the nations from
which they receive their doctrine*
Take all the Protestant denomina-
tions, and who among them all are
assembling themselves together in
one % If they should issue a proclar
mation by human wisdom and by
human commandment, requiring
their members to gather together.
ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC.
135
they could not accomplish it. Why]
Because there is not enough unity
amongst them ; the Holy Ghost has
not been given to them in its ful-
ness, as given to the anciiant Saints ;
hence they could not gather the peo-
ple together. But the Lord has
done it through this people. And
what will he yet do ] Permit me to
prophecy, not in my own name nor
by my own wisdom, but on the
strength of that which God has
revealed to this Church since the
year 1830, and that also which is
given in the Book of Mormon — I
prophesy that this is only just the
beginning, as it were of the great
work of the gathering of the Latter-
day Saints.
[I would say that some of our
friends that have called in this after-
noon are obliged, in consequence of
the cars leaving, to retire. May the
Lord bless them, pour out his Spirit
upon them, may he manifest the
truth unto them that they may be
be blessed in common with all those
who keep the commandments of
God.]
The Lord our God has therefore
fulfilled that which he spoke : and
as I said this work, instead of being
nearly accomplished, nearly fulfilled,
and all things brought about accord-
ing to the purposes of the Almighty,
only the foundation, as it were, is
now laid, and instead of being
gathered in a little company of
150,000, by and bye we shail be
gathered in hundred of thousands
and even millions. Now, do you
believe it ? I not only believe it
hut know it will come to pass just
as much as a great many other
things which have already been ful-
filled since the promises were uttered
and published in this book. I knew
they would come to pass, for God
has revealed these things to me, and
given me a knowledge of them, and
I also know concerning the future of
this people, as also do a great *
many of our brethren that have
received testimonies . concerning
these matters. Is God limited to
this little narrow spot, called the '
great basin of North America 1
Why, no. It is only for the present,
for the time being that we dwell
here. Where will we dwell in the
future] What is our future destinyl
It is not on the Sandwich Islands, it
is not in New Zealand, it is not in
Australia, it is not in any of the
islands of the sea, but I will tell you
the future destiny of this people in
a very few words. Not many years
hence — I do not say the number of
years — ^you will look forth to the
western counties of the State of
Missouri, and to the eastern coun-
ties of the State of Kansas, and in
all that region round about you will
see a thickly populated country,
inhabited by a peaceful people,
having their orchards, their fruit
trees, their fields of grain, their
beautiful houses and shade trees,
their cities and towns and villages.
And you may ask — Who are all
these people ] And the answer will
be — Latter-day Saints ! Where have
they came from 1 They have come
from the nations of the earth !
They have come from the mountains
of Utah, from Arizona, from Idaho^
and from the tiiountainous territories
of the North American Continent,
they have come down here, and are
quietly cultivating the lands of these
States ! Now, this will all come to
pass, just as sure to come to pass as
there is a God that reigns in yonder
heavens, and not many years hence
either. Thus you see that for some
time to come, our future destiny is
not to build up this kingdom upon
any of the islands of the sea, but to
be located where God has decreed,
by his own power that his people
13G
JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES
a^all dwell. " Oh, but," says one,
"you have to get the land first"
BiUt I would ask is there any break-
iijg of the Constitution, — is there
ai;^thing calculated to take away
t^e rights of American citizenship
by emigrants going from one part of
this nation to another, peacefully
agd quietly, purchasing the land and
locating upon it> I think not.
" But," says one, " perhaps they will
not allow you to purchase the land."
T*he Lord will take care of that; that
is in the hands of the Lord. That
same being who will assist in the
building of a great city on the west-
ern boundaries of the State of Mis-
souri, has all power ; and when we
purchase the land, and go and take
possession of it, I do not think we
will be driven from our own lands, if
we mind our own business and do
not meddle with our neighbors' busi-
ness, and do not undertake to injure
them in their rights and privileges,
guaranteed to them by the Constitu-
tion of our country. If we conduct
ourselves in a peaceable manner, I do
not see why we may not dwell there
a& well as other citizens. We have
the strongest assurance that such
lyill be the case. These were pro-
i3[ii^es made to us, before there were
a hundred persons in this Church.
It was promised that we should
%ve a land as an inheritage ; but
w£ were commanded of God, to pur-
cji^se the land. Now, when the
tjime comes for purchasing this land,
ij^e will have means. How this
means will be brought about it is
not for me to say. Perhaps the
Lord will open up mines containing
gold and silver, or in some other
way as seemeth to him best, wealth
will be poured into the laps of the
Latter-day Saints till they will
scarcely know what to do with it.
I will here again prophesy on the
strength of former revelation that
there are no people on the face of
the whole globe, not even excepting
London, Paris, New York, or any of
the great mercantile cities of the
globe --there are no people now
upon the face of the earth, so rich as
the Latter-day Saints will be in a
few years to come. Having their
millions ; therefore they will pur-
chase the land, build up cities, towns
and villages, build a great capital
city, at headquarters, in Jackson
County, Missouri. Will we have a
temple there ? Yes ; will we have a
beautiful city? Yes, one of the
most beautiful cities that will ever
be erected on the continent of
America will be built up by the
Latter-day Saints in Jackson County,
Missouri. Consequently, when
congressmen and statesmen, and the
great naen of our nation, want to
know what the future destiny of the
Latter-day Saints will be, let them
remember the words of your humble
servant, who has addressed you this
afternoon ; for they will come to
pass — they will be fulfilled. We
have seen too many revelations fill-
filled, already, to be mistaken in
regard to these matters. Amen.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN, ETC.
137
DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W, PENROSE,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, Sunday Afteknoon,
April Uth, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
difference between the latter-day saints and all other
professing christians.
I am thankful to-day for . this
opportunity of meeting with my
brethren and sisters in this fine
hall to worship God and spend a
little time in reflecting upon the
principles of the Gospel of Jesns
Christ, and I am thankful also for
this opportunity of bearing my testi-
mony to the truth of the work in
which we are engaged. I trust that
during the short time I shall stand
before you I may be lead by the
Holy Spirit to say something which
will edify and instruct the people.
It was remarked by Brother N.
H. Felt, who has just addressed us,
that it would be a difficult matter to
answer the question — wherein do
the Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons,"
differ in their views from the reiSt
of the people who profess the Chris-
tian religion. True this would be a
difficult question to answer in a few
imnutes satisfactorily. There are a
great many points of difference be-
tween our doctrines and the doc-
trines of the so-called Christian
world, but if I were to attempt to
answer the question in brief I would
say the chief difference consists in
this : — That the religion which we
have received has come down from
God out of heaven direct, by revela-
tion, in the day and age in which
we live, while the religions which
are believed in by the various Chris-
tian denominations who meet to-day
in different parts of the world to
worship God, most of which have
been in existence for a long time
have been in every case arranged by
men. The people who belong to
the various Christian sects all pro-
fess to believe in one Book — the
Bible, and in one God; but their
ideas in regard to religion and in
regard to the manner in which God
shall be worshipped and served are
very different, and when we trace up
the origin of their religion we fiad
that in every case, with perhaps one
exception, they have been started by
men ; by individuals who, no doubt,
in the first place, believed they were
enlightened of God and had come to
the conclusion that such and such
doctrines were the doctrines of
Christ, and that it was their duty to
preach these doctrines. They con-
vinced others of the truth of the
ideas which they had adopted, and
together they formed a religious
society. Now, we shall find that
this is the case with all those differ-
ent sects and parties, that compose
modern Christendom with the ex-
ception perhaps of the Church which
is called the Church of Home, the
138
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
Eoman Catholic church. That
church professes to be a continuation
of the Church which Jesus Christ
estabUshed. It professes to have
the same authority, handed down
from generation to generation, which
was exercised by the ancient apos-
tles. It professes to have the keys
that Peter held. The Pope of Eome
professes to be the successor of St.
Peter, and the priesthood of the
church of Rome profess to have the
same authority, or similar authority,
or a succession of the authority,
which was held in the primitive
Christian Church. They say there
has been no interruption of this line
of priesthood in the church which
Jesus Christ established, to build up
which the ancient apostles lost their
lives — that this priesthood has been
continued down through the stream
of time to our own period. All the
rest of the denominations called
Christian have sprung from that
body directly or indirectly, and
their organization was started in the
way that I have briefly described.
You see then there is a great dif-
ference between our professions and
the professions of all the rest of the
Christian world in this particular.
We testify that in the day and age
in which we live, God, who spoke in
ancient times to the prophets, and
in the meridian of time by his Ocly
Begotten Son, has uttered his voice
again out of heaven ; that Jesus
who died on Calvary, that we might
live, has manifested himself in this
day and age of the world ; that the
angels of God, who were men that
ministered in the name of the Lord,
in the flesh, in times of old, who
died in the truth and live in God,
have come to the earth in this age
of the world and revealed the things
of God ; and that this Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
has been organized, not by the wis-
dom of man, not by persons who
have reflected and studied and come
to certain conclusions in their own
minds and then founded a church,
but that it has been organized and
established and carried on and direc-
ted under the immediate revelations
of the Must High God. You see
this is quite a dififei*ence. There is
quite a distinction between us and
all the rest of the people called
Christians. I do not know, how-
ever, whether the great body of peo-
ple caUed Christians will allow us to
adopt that name. They dispute our
right to the title of Christians. They
call us "Mormons" — ^rather a foolish
title to give us. Mormon is the
name of a man, a servant of God, a
prophet of the Most High, who
lived anciently on this continent
and wrote some of the things re-
vealed to him in a book called the
Book of Mormon ; and because we
believe in that book, our "Chris-
tian" friends call us "Mormons."
We ndght just as well call them.
Peters, because they believe in
Peter ; we might just as well call
them Pauls, Jeremiahs, Isaiahs, or
Lukes, because they believe in the
sayings of these men written in the
book called the Bible,
But the stranger might say, " It
is very well for y«u to make such a
statement aa you have made, that
your Church has been organized by
the commandment of God and by
divine revelation from him in the.
present day, but how can you prove
that to the world f There is a very,
simple way by which tins can be
found out, by which the truth or
falsity of what I have said can be
established. The people. who live
here in Utah, who have been gather-
ed here from a great many dSerent
parts of the earth, are here because
they know that what I have spoken
of this afternoon is true. This is
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, ETC.
139
what brought them here. They
have not come up to the heights of
these mountains to dig for gold or
silver, to make themselves rich with
the fruits and products of the earth,
or to unite together to establish some
socialistic system for the mere better-
ing of their temporal circumstances.
They have come here from the east,
from the west, from the north and
from the south, from the different '
continents and from the islands of the
sea, because in their own souls they
have received a testimony similar
to that which I have borne this
afternoon. They have investigated
the subject; they took the course
pointed out to them by which they
could find out the truth or falsity of
this work for themselves, and having
received a testimony that it is true
they have come up here to these
mountains ; they have left their
homes in various lands, they have
turned their backs on their former
homes and relationships, broken up
their business affairs, many of them
having left friends arid family and
have come up here to these naoun-
tains that they may learn more of
this important work, having first of
all received a testimony from God
that it is true. Well, some one may
say, " How did they find it out 1
Did they find it out because some-
body told themi Did they receive
their testimony from some other
man or woman ] No ; they received
it direct from the Lord, direct from
the heavens, for " God is no
respector of persons, but in every
nation he that feareth him and work-
eth righteousness is accepted of
him ;" he is just as willing to mani-
fest himself to an Englishman, an
American, a Scotchman, an Irishman,
a Dutchman, a Scandinavian, a
South Sea Islander or anybody else,
as to a Jew. How did they obtain
this testimony 1 The Apostle James,
some of whose writings we have in
this book called the New Testament, ,
told the people in his day, " If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
Goa thatgiveth to allmen liberally and
upbraideth not, and it shall be given
him. But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he
shaU receive anything of the Lord."
Now when the elders of this Church
went out with this testimony that
God had again spoken from the
heavens, that communication be-
tween the heavens and the earth,
which was once enjoyed by men of old
had again been opened up, they
told the people who heard their words
that if they would believe in the true
and living God, if they would believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, if they would,
repent of their sins and be baptized
in water for the remission of si^s,
they should receive the Holy Ghost,
and by this Spirit they should ob-
tain a testimony direct from the
Almighty to their . own souls, that
God had ip very* deed commenced
the great work of the latter days,
spoken of by all the holy prophets
since the world began. What was
the result of this teaching 1 Why,
in every place, in every part of the
world, among any people, no matter
what their former customs or religion
might have been, no matter what
condition they might be in, no matter
how they had been educated, no
matter of what race they might be,
wherever they heard the sound of
this Gospel and obeyed it, they re-
ceived a testimony of the truth of
this work and therefore have gather-
ed up to these mountains.
This is my testimony to this con-
gregation this afternoon : that, hav-
ing received this Gospel and obeyed
it in the way that I have pointed out;
uu
JOURNAL OK DISCOUKSEH.
I received a testimony to my own
soul, from the Almighty, by which I
have no longer any doubt as to its
truth ; no longer to depend upon the
testimony of man. I can say for
myself, before God, before the hea-
venly hosts, before all nations where-
ever I may be sent, that I know this
work is true. I know that God
lives. I know that God hears and
answers prayer. I know that Jesus
is the Christ. I know that angels
have come down from the heavens
in these the last times and restored
the ancient Gospel. I know that
the holy priesthood, the power of
God, the authority to administer in
the name of the Lord, held by men,
in ancient times, has been restored
to men in these the latter days, and
that it is here upon the earth, never
to be taken away again until the
work has been accomplished for
which it was sent ; until every na-
tion shall hear the sound of the
Gospel; until every nation, kindred,
tongue and people, shall hear of the
purposes of the Great Jehovah ; un-
til all people shall be warned, and
the honest and upright, and the
truth-loving in every clime shall be
gathered unto the fold of Christ;
until the way shall be prepared for
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
— to reign in Mount Zion and Jeru-
salem, and before his ancients glori-
ously ; until the earth is redeemed
from the curse ; until Satan and his
hosts are bound ; until the great
work of God is accomplished and all
his children brought up from death
and hell and the grave, and placed
in a position where they can glorify
God throughout the countless ages
of eternity.
It is popularly supposed that
when our elders go out as mission-
aries to the different countries of the
earth, they go for the purpose of in-
ducing people to gather here to these
peaceful valleys, that they might be
made subservient to our leaders.
That is the popular idea. There
cannot, however, be anything mor^
false and ridiculous than this. Whit:
object could men have in taking the
trouble to go, as our elders do, to
face the frowns of the world, to be
scoffed at and despised, to travel
** without purse or scrip," as did the
ancient servants of God, suffering
contumely, persecution, privation,
and even hunger and thirst, travel-
ing foot-sore and weary, among a
people who, generally speaking, do
not desire to hear their testimony 1
Their object is to preach the Gospel
of Christ, and to bear witness of this
great work. It is not merely to ga-
ther people to these mountains.
When people do come here they
come just as I have said, — because
they have received the Gospel, and
know it to be true. They come up
here that they may learn more of
the ways of the Lord. And this is
the testimony that our elders bear
wherever they may be sent : That
God has restored the ancient Gospel
and that he is building up his Church
on the earth again for the last time;
that the hour of God's judgment is
nigh ; that the angel, to whom Bro-
ther Felt referred, and about whom
he quoted from the revelations of St.
John, has come to the earth with
"the everlasting Gospel to preach to
every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people, saying, with a
loud voice, Fear God and give glory
to him for the hour of his judgment
is come." This is our testimony, this
ifi why we go forth, arid when the
people hear our testimony and believe
it, and call upon the Lord for a wit-
ness, they receive it, and then they
are willling to forego everything for
the sake of the Gospel.
There is another great difference
between our religion arid the reli-
DIFF£RENCE BSTTWEEN, ETC.
HI
gions of the world, and that consists
in the power and authority of the
priesthood to which I have briefly
referred. Now, it is true that the
church called the Church of Rome,
professes to have the priesthood.
That church professes to have the
same authority which was in the
ancient church, and that it has been
handed down from generation to
generation to our own times. The
Church of England — or the Episco-
pal Church as it is called here — pro-
fesses to have a portion of tliat same
authority. The Greek Church also
professes to have a portion of that
authoiity. They are branches or off-
shoots from this Roman Catholic
Church ; but the rest of the Chris-
tian denominations repudiate any
idea of a priesthood. They think
there is no need for any priesthood.
They say that Jesus was the Great
High Priest, and that there is no
need for any more priests ; that is
the prevalent idea among the rest of
the Christian sects. But we do be-
lieve in the necessity of this priest-
hood, and say that it has been re-
stored from heaven in this our own
. times. In what way 1 In the first
; place John the Baptist, who went
before Jesus to prepare the way for
him as the prophets predicted, who
held the priesthood of Aaron, or
the Levitical priesthood — that same
person who baptized Jesus in the
river Jordan, and who was beheaded
for preaching the word of the Lord,
has come to the earth in this day
and age of the world, and ordained
man to the same authority and
priesthood that he held while he was
in the flesh. Now, I do not know
that there is another people on the
face of the earth that possess any
Btkch thing as that, so that in that
respect there is a great difference be-
ween our religion and the religions
of the world. Further, we testify
that not only this lesser priesthood
which was held by John the Bap-
tist has been restored, but that
Peter, James and John, who held
the Apostleship, the same priesthood
which Christ held, have come in
this our own time and restored the
authority which they held. "As
my Father hath sent me, even so
send I you," said Jesus to his dis-
ciples. They were ordained to the
same authority that He held. What
authority was that 1 We are told
that Christ was called to be a priest
forever after the order of Melchise-
dek, an unchangeable priesthood,
everlasting, without beginning of
(lays or end of years. He conferred
the same priesthood upon His apos-
tles, and Peter, James and John
were left to take charge of th©
Church when He departed ; they
had the keys of the kingdom;
whatsoever they should bind on
earth was to be bound in heaven,
and whatever they should loose on
earth was to be loosed in heaven.
Now, we testify that these three
individuals holding the keys of that
apostleship, the higher priesthood,
have come down to the earth as
ministering beings in our own times,
and ordained the Prophet Joseph
Smith to the same apostleship and
priesthood and authority which
they held, and through him it has
been conferred upon others, so that
the ancient authority and priest-
hood held by men of God in times
of old, is here on the earth in this
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints.
Then there is another difference
between us and the rest of the peo-
ple called Christian, who profess^ to
believe in the Christian religion.
This lesser priesthood holds the
power to baptize for the remission
of sins among other things, but it
does not hold the power to confer
142
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
the Holy Ghost upon the people.
When John the Baptist baptized
for the remission of sins he said,
"There cometh after me one mightier
than I, the latchet of whose shoes I
am not worthy to unloose. I in-
deed have baptized you with water ;
but he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost.'* And we read in the
New Testament, in the Acts of the
Apostles, that on a certain occasion
when the apostles were passing
through the upper coasts of Ephesus,
they found certain disciples who had
simply been baptized with the bap-
tism of John, who did nothing but
baptize for the remission of sins, he
having no authority to lay his hands
upon the people ; they had not re-
ceived the Holy Ghost. But the
apostles had received that power
and authority from Jesus Christ
which He himself held, and • they
laid their hands upon these people,
and they received the Holy Ghost.
Here is the difference, or one point
of difference, between those two
priesthoods. Now this priesthood
has not remained upon the earth,
hence the necessity of restoring it.
The only person in Christendom
who professes to have the keys of
the apostolic priesthood is the Pope
of Rome. What is the Pope ©f
Rome ? Is he an apostle 1 No ; he
does not profess to be an apostle.
Then how came he to be the suc-
cessor of Peter 1 Peter was an
apostle. He held the keys that
Christ gave to him. Christ or-
dained him. Does the Pope of
Rome profess to have the keys of
revelation 1 No, he does not profess
to receive any new revelation. He,
with others, sometimes meet in holy
Convocation, as it is called; they
meet in council, they enunciate cer-
tain dogmas, but he does not pro-
fess to receive any revelation from
God. What was the great power of
the ancient apostleshipl The power
to commune with the Highest The
form of the apostleship was no-
thing ; the power was everything.
That power departed from the
earth. The people in ancient times
were unworthy of it. They put out
the lights of God which He had
placed in the world, and left them-
selves in darkness. They cut short
the apostles' lives, and the world
was left in the gloom. They would
not have the power and authority
oi that apostleship in their midst,
and instead of the ancient Church
of Christ with the power of God,
with the ministration of angels,
with the gifts and blessings we read
about in the New Testament, we
find arising a church of a different
form, a church that has persecuted
the Saints, a church that is stained
with the blood of the innocent, a
church that put people to death for
their religious belief (which the
Church of Christ never did), and
yet that church, including all the
various contending denominations
and sects extant upon the earth, is
called "Christian!"
Now, our testimony to the world
is that God has restored these two
ancient priesthoods — that is, the
power to administer in the name of
the Lord by authority, and that the
power of God accompanies that aa
thoriiiy. Here are men who profess
to have the right to administer the
ordinance of baptism for the remis-
sion of sins, who profess to have the
authority to lay hands upon the peo-
ple for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Now, an impostor might profess to
have this power. Having read
about it in the New Testament, and
seeing that the ancient servants of
God possessed such power, a man
might profess to have authority to
lay hands upon people for the be-
stowal of the Holy Ghost. But an
DIfTSRBNCB BfiTWEBN, ETC.
143
impostor cannot really confer the
Holy Ghost. That comes from God.
No man can bestow the gift of the
Holy Ghost upon any one ; that is
the gift of God. We read about a
man who thought he could purchase
this power. He offered the apostles
money for it. But Peter said unto
him, " Thy money perish with thee,
because thou hast thought that the
gift of God may be purchased with
money.*'
Now, here we have in Utah about
150,000 people. A great many of
them came t6 these mountains under
very adverse circumstances. They
left their various homes in different
parts of the world to gather out here
with the Saints, Why ] Because
they knew that this was the work of
God by the gift and power of the
Holy Ghost. How did they receive
it ? They received it by the laying
on of hands of men who professed to
have the authority to do so. Now,
the fact that they received the gift
of the Holy Ghost is a proof that the
power of God accompanies the ad-
ministration. The same fruits that
were made manifest in days of old
are made manifest to-day. We read
in the New Testament that certain
gifts existed in the ancient Church.
The sick were healed and the lame
made to walk. Some had the gift
of tongues, others the interpretation
of tongues, others the gift of pro-
phecy, etc. What was the effect of
the eiristence of these gifts ? Union,
concord, brotherly love, all seeing
eye to eye. Now, inasmuch as we
find the same gifts among the Lat-
ter-day Saints — although of different
nationalities, formerly of different
religions, brought up in different
ways — ^it is evidence clear and plain
that the power of God is in the midst
of this people ; that the Holy Ghost
has been conferred upon them, and
this is their united testimony. This
I is clear to me, but it may not be
clear to everybody else. I do not
believe it possible for others to see
things as i do, unless they take the
same course as I have done, and test
the matter for themselves.
If a man believes in God, and in
his Son Jesus Christ, and in the
Scriptures, he will manifest his faith
by receiving the doctrines laid down
and the commandments given ; and
if he will ask of God he will receive
a t-estimony. I can make bold to
promise this blessing to every man
and woman in this house — and I do
it in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ — if they will obey this Gospel
which God has sent from heaven for
the salvation of mankind. My
friends, if you will turn away from
your evil deeds, if you will turn unto
the Lord God, obey the ordinances
and ask for a testimony of the truth
of this work ; if you will do this in
sincerity, I promise you in the name
of the Lord you shall receive the
testimony you seek. . Is there any
minister upon the face of the whole
earth, amongst the so-called Chris-
tian sects, who can make you a simi-
lar promise] No. Whyl Because
they have not been called to this
work. This is another point of
difference between our religion and
that of the world. Our elders go
forth with boldness, because they
are not sent by men. They ar«
not called to preach for hire. They
are called of God to bear th« holy
priesthood and carry forth this mes-
sage of glad tidings wherever they
may be sent. It is their duty to
proclaim this Gospel to the utter-
most bounds of the earth, and their
testimony is similar to that I havt
borne here to-day, and our witnesses
are the Latter-day Saints — gathered
from the nations — who dwell in the
valleys of the mountains.
There are a great many other
14^
JOURNAL OF mdcotmsKs.
points of difference between us and
the so called Christian world, that I
have not time tq refer to. For in-
stance, we believe in the doctrine ©f
gathering to this land from all parts
of the world. When we go out to
preach this Gospel, we do not advise
the people to stay and erect great
churches in the countries where they
receive the Gospel. We bear testi-
mony to them that this is the time
of God's judgments. We say, "Come
out of her, my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that
ye receive not of her plagues." We
testify that the time is near at hand
when great Babylon shall fall ; when
God shall smite terribly all the
nations of the earth; when he will
turn and overturn ; when nation
shall rise against nation and king-
dom against kingdom ; people
against people and family against
family ; when there shall be wars
and rumors of wars; plagues, famines
and pestilence ; such a time as has
never been known upon the earth
from the beginning even unto the
present day. llierefore we call upon
the elect of God to come out from
the nations of the earth, and they
come from the east and from the
west, from the north and from the
south, to this chosen land, to serve
the Lord, to learn of his ways and
to walk in his paths, and prepare
themselves for the great events that
are about to transpire on the earth.
Another great point of difference
is the building of Temples. The
different Christian denominations
build houses and -call them St.
Paul's church, St. Peter's church,
St. Mark's church, etc. They build
churches to these various saints,
but they know nothing about build-
ing a house to the name of the Most
High God, — a temple in which the
Lord may come and place His feet ;
for this is the day spoken of by the
prophets, when "the Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his
temple, even the messenger of the
covenant whom ye delight in ; be-
hold, he shall come, saith the Lord
of Hosts. But who may abide the
day of his coming, and who shall
stand when he appeareth, for he is
Kke a refiners's j&re," etc. We call
upon the people to come out and
help build temples in which ordi-
nances can be administered for the
benefit of the living and the re-
demption of the dead. The re-
demption of the dead ! Can the liv-
ing do anything for the dead? When
people pass away from the earth, is
not their condition settled % When
the tree falls, does it not lie there %
Yes, it does, till it is moved. In con-
nection with the Gospel we have re-
ceived glad tiding of salvation
which is preached to the living and
to the dead. The Lord has revealed
to us the glorious doctrine of re-
demption for the dead — a plan by
which the living may aid the dead
Not by sajring mass over the soul of
the departed, but by attending to
certain ordinances for them which
belong to the Gospel. Are all the
thousands and millions ot people who
have passed away without a know-
ledge of the Gospel to perish 1 No.
There is no name under heaven but
the name of Jesus whereby man shall
be saved. Ask our Christian friends
if the mDlions of heathens who have
passed away from this world have
ever heard the name of Jesus. If not,
what is to become of them?
Millions of people who dwell
upon the earth even in so-
called Christian countries know
nothing about the true Gospel.
The so-called Christian churches kck
this knowledge and light. By the
confession of the Episcopal Church,
in its hofflily of the perils of idcdatry,
the Whole of Ohristendom, " dergj
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, ETC.
Hi
and laity, men, women and children
of all ages, sexes and degrees, have
been at the time the homily was
written, buried in the most abomi-
nable idolatry for the space of 800
years or more. According to the
testimony of the Apostle in the
Apocalypse, the whole world, Chris-
tian as well as heathen, has gone
astray, all nations have become
drunk with the wine of the wrath
of the fornication of Babylon the
great, the mother of harlots ; and
there has been no voice from heaven,
no revelation from God, no commu-
nication with the eternal world for
many centuries. Although a great
many people have tried to do the
best they could — and so far being
accepted of God — ^yet they have not
received the Gospel by which they
can enter into the presence of the
eternal Father ; they have not
entered in at the straight and narrow
gate which leadeth to lives eternal.
By this Gospel which has been
revealed to us, the servants of God
who depart from this mortal sphere,
take with them the authority and
priesthood they hold, as Christ did,
when he went to preach to the
spirits in i>ri8on» So the servants of
God, bearing the same priesthood,
go and minister to the spirits behind
the vail whether Christian, heathen
or pagan. No matter what clime or
race thej belong to, all must hear
the same Gospel and be judged by
it on the great day of judgment.
They have therefore an opportunity
of repenting in the. spirit, if they did
not near the Gospel in the flesh.
The Spirit can believe, can be
informed and instructed in the ways
of God, but the Spirit beyond the
vail cannot attend to ordinances per-
taining to the flesh. To this end,
therefore, we are building temples so
that, when they are sanctified and
accepted of God, the holy priesthood
No. 10.
may administer both for the living
and the dead. For this is the great
dispensation of the fulness of times
in which Christ will gather together
in one, all things that are in him»
both which are in heaven and which
are on earth. This is the last dis-
pensation of God's mercy to man.
The work has been commenced and
it will roll on until the Gospel has
been preached to every nation, kin-
dred, tongue and people, aud the
honest in heart have been gathered
out from among the Gentiles. Then
the Lord will send his servants unto
the Jews and the House of Israel^
and thus fully accomplish all he has
spoken by the holy prophets. We
will therefore work while we dwell
in the flesh, and when we have
finished the work we will pass behind
the vail to sweet rest. Rest from
our trials and sufferings, from our
sorrows and tribulations, from our
persecutions aud misrepresentations,
but not to cease from our labors of
love, but to minister in the power,
in the strength, in the might and
majesty of the eternal priesthood
among the hosts behind the vail,
and those that dwell upon the earth
will continue to build temples and
minister therein, that the dead may
be redeemed.
I have not time to continue fur*
ther on this subject I have briefly
pointed out some of the differences
between us and the ''Christian'^
world. And now I will bear my
testimony to this congregation in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
that this is not the work of man ;
that "Mormonism" is the work of
the Great God, and no power can
overturn it. And I testify further|^.
that every nation and kingdom that
shall rise against this work shall
perish and be utterly wasted away*.
The Lord will have a reckoning with
that nation, no matter where it is^
Vol. XXL
146
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
for all the nations of the earth are
ill the hands of God, an(f every
human government that will not
serve him shall be brought low,
lintil his kiDgdom spreads forth and
ie estabhshed upon the whole earth
■*ith Christ the Redeemer, as King,
whose right it is to rule.
May the peace of God, which
pasBeth all underetauding, rest in
the hearts of the Saints, and also
guide all people who desire the
truth, in the way of life eternal,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
DISCOUI«E BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Deutxred in the Tabbenacle, Looan City, Satukday Aftekmoom,
NoVEMBEK IST, 1879.
(Eeporled hy Geo. F. GMs.)
strength thereof. And thus they
labored, witli all diligence, uncording
to the' ccimmaQdAibbta of tlie LbiS
he lolkd
)d Dtkto
Woaa
id ttiffr
'<«■,.-
^f'^
PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
U7
Covenants. We have here a clear
and plain prediction, in the form of
a parable, that was recorded upon
plates of gold, almost 600 years be-
fore Christ, in relation to the great
work iu which we, as the servants
«f the Lord, and the Latter-day
faints, are engaged. Perhaps there
may be some persons, numbered
among this community, who may
have a feeling something like this ;
" that we are net living according to
the law that is given in the Doctrine
and Qovenants, in all respects."
And they have drawn the conclusion,
that perhaps the Lord would forsake
us in consequence of our not carry-
ing out the laws so clearly defined
and explained in that record. These
things were clearly set forth before
the people, this forenoon, in regard
to wherein we have not entered into
all the fulness and perfection of that
order of things. But the question
is, can we do much better, under the
present circumstances) This is a
great question to be considered.
And in the consideration of it, we
have to enquire into a number of
other things, such as can we lay
iffiide the present order of things
that is not consistent with the Doc-
tnne and Covenants ; and can we
begin anew here in these valleys,
and carry out the law of the Lord
in all its perfection! I do not
know but what there may be a bare
possibility of our doing it ; but
whether the Lord requires this at
our hands under the present circum-
stances is another thing. We are
V€*y imperfect, and yet we try to do
ri^ht. We want to keep the com-
BHindmeuts of the Lord ; we desire
to be members of his Church ; we
desire to have his Holy Spirit rest-
iBg upon us, and we desire to be
^ded by it. We wish to know
what the counsel of the servants of
3od is c<mceming us ; and yet, |
hardly know which way to turn.
We see a united order established in
one place, according to one principle^
we go to another part of the land,
and we find an order established on
a little different principle ; and we
hear of another, all differing some^
what. And so on until we visit
nearly all the settlements of these
mountains. And as was stated this
forenoon, they differ as do the elders
themselves in their views.
Now what has the Lord said in
this parable of the vineyard 1 "And
they did 'ke^ the root and the top
thereof equal/' In what respect
were they tttade equal 1 The next
part of that same sentence declares
that they weVermad^ equal " accord>
ing to the fettength thereof." Now
there is a great deal expressed in
those few words. They were not
made equal all at once, as the inhabi-
tants of a celestial world are, with-
out any improvements being intro
duced ; but they were to keep the
root and the top of the great tree
equal, accordmg to the strength thereof;
that is according to the conditien
and circumstances in which th6 peo-
ple are placed. Now 1 consider,
that notwithstanding all our devia-
tions from' the:p^ect law that 'Okd
has given, notwithstanding the con*
dition of things pointed out so clear-
ly in the Doctrine and Covenants in
regard to holding stewardships a&d
inheritances, and ^ving an account
of those stewardships and inherit-
ances, according to the perfect order,
— I consider we are doing pretty
well, in a great many respects. We
have progtessed ; we have made
improvenvents ; we are in a mere
united eondition than we were 45
years ago.' fi^ce there has been an
unprovement among the Latteisday
Samts; and this improvement has
been for the better; it has beeti
pointing all thetime towards equa-
te
148
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
lity, though we have not succeeded,
according to the perfect law. But
we have succeeded according to the
strength of the people, — according
to the circumstances with which
they are surrounded. We have
succeeded in a great measure to
instil into their minds the great
principle of unity 'and oneness, not
only in spiritual things, but in tem>
poral things also. The day will
come when this will be fulfilled to
the very letter, in accordance with
words which say, " they became like
unto one body ; and the fruit were
equal." That is the destination of
the Latter-day Saints in the future.
The fruit is to be equal ; the roots
and the branches are all to be kept
in their perfect order, and the whole
tree kept in a thriving condition.
Then we shall have learned the
great principle of the celestial order,
that must be carried out among the
children of men. During that long
period called the Millennium, this
people will see the importance of
attending to that perfect order when
our strength- shall warrant. At pre-
sent we have no perfect example
bc^fore us. Where has there been
either in this Territory or in Arizona
an instance where the perfect law of
God has been carried out, as laid
down in the Doctrine and Cove-
iisaits ? I know of no such instance.
I know of a great many improve-
ments upon the old condition of
things which has existed among our
lathers — the Gentile notion and idea
oi.each one holding separate and
kidividual interests, without being
accountable to anyone. That is the
old system. We have made many
improvements, but we have not
carried out in any one solitary in-
stance in any settlement I am
acquainted with, the order of things
laid down in the revelations, con-
tained in the Book of Covenants. •
There has been a great deal said,,
at different times upon the subject-
of families being united as one, —
eating at the same table, for instance,,
and having one large field, wher»
their farming operations might be
carried on, aU who are farmers going
forth into the same field to labor ;
and the same principle carried out
in regard to other branches, all
taking hold unitedly, having the
common interest at heart. 1^ there
anything in the revelations g^ven in
these Latter-days requiring this
order of things, or is it something
we ourselves have considered as be-
ing a little ahead of what our fathers
have been practising? I do not
know anything laid down in the
revelations, requiring us to take this
particular method. Yet, is it right?
Yes. Why it is right according to
the circumstances with which they
are surrounded ; it points forward to
unity and tends to instruct us in the
preliminary ideas of being united
together. And hence, those that
can enter into this order, who are
willing to unite in this way, are
doing well and will be blessed for it
But let no person set any stakes, in
regard to this matter, that because-
he may have entered into a special
order, introduced in one settlement
that all others are wrong, because
they do not do likewise ; they should
not find fault with their brethren,
neither be discouraged in well-doing.
There are a great many different
ideas among the Latter-day Saints,
in relation to these matters. But
then, we have a standard given in
the Book of Covenants, by which we
should be governed. By and bye, I
expect we will be in diflferent circum-
stances, in which stewardships or
inheritances can be issued, for all
families of the Saints, some in one
kind or branch of business, and some
in another; and the full law o£
PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
U9
consecration will take place.
I am, and I presume a great many
others who are acquainted with the
l^velations of God, as contained in
the Doctrine and Covenants, are
looking for the period of time to
came, in the history of the Latter-
day Saints, when we as a people
shall possess a very different country
fiom the one we are now inhabiting.
We do not expect to go to the Sand-
wich Islands, neither to the Society
Islands, neither to any of the islands
6f the oceans, nor into South Amer-
ica, nor Central America, to carry
ont the order of things which we
expect to enter into in all its fulness.
Eut we evpect, just' as much as we
expect the sun will shine, when it
arises on a clear morning, that the
Lord will by and bye, take us back
to the land referred to by Brother
Snow, this forenoon. We do not
expect that when that time shall
come, that aU Latter-day Saints,
who now occupy the mountain
Valleys, will go in one consolidated
body, leaving this land totally with-
out inhabitants. We do not expect
any such thing. But we do expect,
ihat there will be a period in the
future history of the Church when
many hundreds of this people — our
youth, for instance, who will grow
up in those days, when they will be
•consolidated as a body, and will go
to the eastern portions of the state
of Kansas, . and also to the western
portions of the state of Missouri to
settle. And when that time shall
come, if it be needful to carry out
the commandments which Brother
Snow read this morning, referring to
the purchase of lands, we will have
property and means sufficient to
accomplish this work. It was neces-
sary some 47 years ago to purchase
lands, and also for several years
Afterwards. But we did not do it
then. It may be necessary for us in
times to come, and probably will be
necessary for us to purchase that
whole region of country. Why so 1
Because if there be prior occupants
to it, should we not be willing to
give them an equivalent, such as
will satisfy them, for its possessioni
including the improvements attached
thereto ) Certainly. Consequently
it may be necessary for us to carry
out the fulness of all these revela-
tions, notwithstanding all the abus^
and persecutions that have been
heaped upon the Latter-day Saints*
But whether this be the case or not
there is one thing certain — some-
thing that you and I may depend
upon, with as much certainty as we
expect to get our daily food, and
that is, that the;Lord our Grod will
take this people back, and will select
from among this people, a sufficient
number, to make the army of Israel
very great. And when that day
comes, he will guide the forces of
those who emigrate to their posses-
sions in those two states, that I have
mentioned. And the land thus pur-
chased will be no doubt, as far as
possible, located in one district of
country, which will be settled very
differently from the way we now
settle up these mountain regions.
You may ask, in what respect we
shall differ in settling up those coun-
tries when we go there to fulfil the
commandments of the Lord 1 I will
tell you. No man in those localities
will be permitted to receive a
stewardship on those lands, unless
he is willing to consecrate all his
properties to the Lord. That will
be amon^ the first teachings given.
When this shall be done, the people
will be, as the parable says, like unto
one body — all equally poor, or all
equally rich ; in other words, they
will be persons that can claim n.o
I property as their own, everything
I being consecrated. And the lana
150
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
being purchased, will be held on a
different principle, from what it is
now. To-day fifty thonsand dollars
worth of real estate property is the
most that can be held by a religious
•iganization ; but in that day the
whole of our properties, amounting
a very much larger sum, will be held
ifx trust. For whom? For the
CSiurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Saints, and for all this great com-
pany that will be gathered together.
And there will be such a change in
governmental affairs, that the
trustee, whoever he may be, will
only act as such as long as he is
faithful ; and if he becomes unfaith-
fiil it will be transferred to another.
Neither in case of death will the
beirs of such trustee have any claim
whatever on the property; the
power regulating such matters will
then be vested in the proper autho-
rity who wUl mete out even justice
to all parties.
These persons, therefore^ will be
in the same condition that all the
rest of the people are in. The pro-
perties they hold will not be their
own, although it may be called so,
as far as that is concerned. And
when it shall be ascertained that an
individual has consecrated every-
thing he has, inquiries will be made
as to the size of his family, and land
will be apportioned to him according-
ly — not to deed him the property,
according to the Gentile practice ;
but rather that the extent of his
stewardship may be determuied.
"When this is done, he takes his
stewardship, each man having his
own table, without being necessita-
ted at all to eat at his neighbor's.
People will build their own houses,
<etc., when needful, provided they are
able to do so, if not, what. assistance
%hey require will be rendered them.;
And then they and all the others
will be required to keep an account
of their proceedings and present the
same to the bishops at the end of the
year, or as often as may be required.
These bishops, if they do their duty,
will scan these things: " Brother, ydu
have been unwise in such and saeh
things, but in other particulars you
have done well." In this way eadi
man will give an account of \^
stewardship, as the revelation says,
both in time and eternity. And he
that proves himself a faithful andi
wise steward in time, will be counted
worthy to receive not only a steward-
ship but an inheritance in eternity.
What is the object of the steward-
ship? Is it not to prepare us for
that still higher order of things that
shall exist when we shall receive an
inheritance] And when that time
comes, and we shall still be found
faithful to our trust, the Lord will
be pleased to say, " I can trust that
man, he has proved himself in the
days of his probation : he is a wise
man ; he has done right in all things
with which he has been entrusted.
Now let him have not merely a
stewardship, but let it be given to
him as an everlasting possession, for
him and hi& seed after him for ever
and ever, both for time and eternity.'*
You may perhaps ask when ttus-
time will cornel for the Saints to
receive bona fide inheritances. The
time will come for the Saints to
receive their stewardships, when
they shall return to the lands from
whence they have been driven ; but
the inheritances will not be given,
until the Lord shall first appoint to
the righteous dead their inheri'
tances, and afterwards the righteous
living will receive theirs. This you
will find recorded in the Doctrine
and Covenants ; and 'in the sAtne
Book it is predicted that there is to
be one " mighty and strong," as well
as to be an imttiortal personage,—
one that is clothed upon with light
PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC.\
151
as with a garment : — one whose
bowels are a fountain of truth. His
mission will be to divide, by lot, to
the Saints their inheritances,, accord-
ing to their faithfulness in their
stewardships. This too agrees with
another revelation, given on the 27 th
Dec. 1832, which says, in great
plainness, that when the Saints are
resurrected and caught up into
heaven, and the living Saints are
also caught up, and that when the
seventh angel shall have sounded
his trump, then the Saints shall
receive their inheritances. The
time then is there specified, concern-
ing the period that the Lord has in
his own mind, when inheritances
shall be given. Finally after the
Saints have been resurrected and
caught up, in connection with all
the then living Saints, into heaven ;
and after the seventh angel sounds
his trump, the earth will be given
to the Saints of the Most High for
an inheritance to be divided out to
them. This land, about which I
have been speaking, is called in some
places in the revelations of God to
the Prophet Joseph, the land of our
inheritance ; and in other places it is
referred to in the form of steward-
ships. In one sense it may be con-
sidered our inheritance, because the
L^rd designs, . in his own wisdom,
jthat the Latter-day Saints shall
possess that land as such, and their
dead with them. And having
decreed this, even before we ever
saw it, he will fulfil it. I will refer
you to a part of the revelation given
on the 2nd Jan., 1831, at the house
of Father Whitmer : " And I hold
forth and deign to give unto you
greater yif-hes, even a land of prp-
mise, a Imi flowing with milk and
honey, upon which there shall be no
curse when^^jthe Lord cometh : And
I will give xt pnto you for the land
of your inheritance," — not only
stewardship, but inheritance ]
"And this shall be my covenant
with you," says the Lord further,
" ye shall have it for the land of
your inheritance, and for the inheri-
tance of your children, forevqr,
while the earth shall stand, and ye
shall possess it again in eternity, no
more to pass away." In this sense
it is called the land of our inheri-
tance. But when we come to speak
definitely, we will have to be proven
as stewards first. If we shall be
unwise in the disposition of this
trust, then it will be very doubtful,
whether we get an inheritance in
this world or in the world to come.
What is it then we look fori
We expect— I was about to quote
from the prediction of Isaiah regard
less of consequences ; I trust, how
ever, there is no one present who
will look upon that great and good
man of God as a traitor against
the government of the United States
— that, " A little one shall becom^
a thousand, and a small one a strong
nation." I expect that this people,
if they do not become a " strong
nation" in one sense of the word!
they will be a great and strong ana
powerful people upon the face of
this land. This is one of the things
your humble servant is looking for.
And I expect that when we go from
these mountains, by hundreds .of
thousands, down to that land to pur-
chase it and to occupy it, that we
will take with us a great deal of
gold and silver — for the Lord will
in those days make his people very
rich, in fulfilment of another promise
made in the same revelation, i^
which he says, that we shall become
the richest of all people. . If this ,^
to be the case, the Lord >vill pro-
bably fulfil that predictioji by Isaig^ij
contained in the 6Uth chapter of his
book — '* for brass I will bring gold,
and for iron I will bring silver, and
152
JOURNAX OF DISCOURSES
tor wood brass, and for stone iron ;"
ftnd he will bestow upon bis people
ricbes that they will not know what
to do with them, unless directed by
the counsels of the servants of the
living God. With this we will pur-
diase the land, and go down and in-
herit it, as a strong and powerful
people, receiving our stewardships.
And we will not spread forth in that
land three or four miles apart, and
think we are crowded when people
come and settle within a mile of us ;
but we will settle in such a manner
as to make a very dense population.
It is a country that is susceptible,
almost every foot of it, to agricultu-
ral purposes ; and we can settle with
a very large population upon every
square mile of country. And we
will extend our bordei-s aronnd about
the great central city, not stake, of
Zion. You have heard of the centre-
stake of Zion, but did you ever read
in the revelations of GU)d that the
place where the New Jerusalem is to
be built is called a stake 1 There
are other places, called Stakes of
Zion, but they will be round about
the city. And we will be multiplied
by hundreds and thousands ; and we
will build, throughout the region
of country, our meeting houses,
our school houses, our acade-
mies and universities ; and we will
see to it, that all of our children
have equal advantages, as far as
possible, of becoming acquainted
with all necessary and useful learn-
ing. Not as it is now : some obtain
great learning ; while ©thers are
obliged from their childhood, from
the time they are six or eight years
of age, to work to that extent that
they cannot devote any time to ac-
quire an education. This order of
things %vill be remedied; and the
youth of God's people will have
equal opportunities, to develop them-
selves ; not that they will all gain
the same ideas exactly ; not that
they will all advance in the same
direction in education, and to the
same extent. One perhaps may
follow a certain branch, calculated to
prepare him to act in a certain posi-
tion in his future life ; while another
may adopt an entirely different
course of study, by which he could
be of benefit to Zion. But there
will be equal privileges and bless-
ings bestowed upon the Latter-day
Saints.
Now about these stewards. They
have to be accountable ; and if they
gain anything in their stewardships
over and above that which may be
necessary to conduct the business
of stewardships, and also to support
themselves, if there be a surplus of
means, what will be said 1 Will it
be said by bishops, " Here, brother
you must give up all this surplus to
the storehouse of the Lord!" It
might be said to one to unite him
to the stewardship, without having
any greater means to extend his
operations, for the time being ; and
again, it might be deemed wisdom
to assist another to the amount of
five, ten, twenty thousand dollars or
so, by way of extending his branch
of business, because in doing so it
would be the means of not only
benefitting himself and family but
the people of Zion generally.
The revelation says : ** They shall
give into the store-house all that is
not needed for the support of the
needy families." In this way the
Lord's storehouse will be full and in
great abundance ; and these means
will be used for public purposes,
and also by way of providing farm-
ing implements, books, etc., for the
remnants of Joseph who will come
into the covenant in those days,
that they may also have their
stewardships in the midst oi the
people of God. There will be a
PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
153
portioa of the avails of these
stewardships, that will be consecra-
ted to the Lord's storehouse, and
which will be used for the building
of Temples, and for beautifying
Jublic places in the city of the New
emsaleni, and making that a city
of perfection as near as we possibly
can.
Now, there will be this difference
between that city and the cities and
Temples which are being built.
The cities and temples which we are
now engaged in building, we expect
to decay ; we expect the rock and
the various building materials will
in time waste away, according to
natural laws. But when we build
that great central city, the New
Jerusalem, there will be no such
thing as the word decay associated
with it ; it will not decay any more
than the pot of manna which was
gathered by the children of Israel
and put into a sacred place in the
ark of the covenant. It was pre-
8er\'ed from year to year by the
power of God ; so will he preserve
the city of the New Jerusalem, the
dwelling houses, the tabernacles, the
Temples, etc., from the effects of
storms and time. It is intended
that it will be taken up to heaven,
when the earth passes away. It is
intended to be one of those choice
and holy places, where the Lord
will dwell, when he shall visit from
time to time, in the midst of the
great latter-day Zion, after it shall
be connected with the city of Enoch.
That then is the difference.
The Lord our God will command
his servants to build that Temple, in
the most perfect order, differing very
much from the Temples that are
now being built. You are engaged
in building Temples after a certain
order, approximating only to a celes-
tial order; you are doing this in
Salt Lake City. One already has
been erected in St. George, after a
pattern in part, of a celestial order.
But by and bye, when we build a
Temple that is never to be des-
troyed, it will be constructed, after
the most perfect order of the celes-
tial worlds. And when God shaU
take it up into heaven it will be
found to be just as perfect as the
cities of more ancient, celestial
worlds which have been made pure
and holy and immortal. So it will
be with other Temples. And we, in
order to build a Temple, after a
celestial order in the fulness of per-
fection, will need revelators and pro-
phets in our midst, who will receive
the word of the Lord ; who will have
the whole pattern thereof given by
revelation, just as much as every-
thing was given by revelation per-
taining to the tabernacle erected in
the wilderness by Moses. Indeed,
before we can go back to inherit this
land in all its fulness of perfection,
God has promised that he would
raise up a man like unto Moses.
Who this man will be I do not
know ; it may be a person with
whom we are entirely unacquainted ;
it may be one of our infant children;
it may be some person not yet born ;
it may be some one of middle age.
But suffice it to say, that God will
raise up such a man, and he will
show forth his power through him,
and through the people that he will
lead forth to inherit that country,
as he did through our fathers in the
wilderness. Did he then display his
power by dividing the waters 1 Yes.
I)id the mountains and land shake
under his power] Yes. Did he
speak to the people by his own
voice ] YeSk Did he converse with
Moses face to face ] Yes. Did he
show him his glory ] Yes. Did he
unfold to him in one moment more
than all our schools and academies,
and universities could give us in ten
154
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
thousand years? Yes. God will
assuredly raise up a man like unto
Moses, and redeem his people, with
an outstretched arm, as their fathers
were redeemed, at the first, going
before them with his own presence,
and will also surround them by his
angels. I expect, when that time
comes, that man "svill understand all
the particulars in regard to the
Temple to be built in Jackson
County. Indeed, we have already a
part of the plan revealed, and also
the plat explaining how the city of
Zion is to be laid off, which may be
found commencing on page 438,
Volume 14 of the Millennial
Star. From what has been
revealed of this Temple to be erected
we can readily perceive that it will
differ from anything that we have
had. It will differ in regard to the
number of rooms ; it will differ yery
much in its outward and also
its inward form ; and it will
differ in regard to the duties to be
performed in each of its rooms to be
occupied by the respective depart-
ments of priesthood. This house
will be reared, then according to a
certain plan, which God is to make
known to his servant whom he will,
in his own due time, raise up. And
he will have to give more revelation
on other things equally as important,
for we shall need instructions how
to build up Zion ; how to estabhsh
the centre city ; how to lay off the
streets ; the kind of ornamental trees
to adorn the sidewalks, as well as
everything else by way of beautify-
ing it, and makiug it a city of per-
fection, as David prophetically calls
it.
And then God will come and
visit it ; it will be a place where he
will have his throne, where he will
sit occasionally as King of Kings and
Lord of Lords, and reign over his
people who will occupy this great
western continent ; the same as he
will have his throne at Jerusalem.
" Beautiful for situation, the joy of
the whole earth is Mount Zion, on
the sides of the north, the city of
the great King."
And again he says :
" Out of Zion, the perfection of
beauty, God hath shined."
Does the Psalmist mean that God
will shine literally out of Zioni
Yes, shine with light that will he
seen by the righteous and the
wicked also.
For fear of taking up too much ef .
the time, I will bring my remarks to
a close. I will say, however, I
desire greatly that the Lord will
bless the Latter-day Saints, and
bless his servants that some, at
least, may have the pleasure of
entering into all the perfection of
this glory, here in this temporal life';
while the more aged, the grayhairded
and gray bearded like myself, will
perhaps pass away, if the Lord re-
quires it. And that our sons may
rise up after us, being filled with the
power and Spirit of God, to carry
out his great and righteous purposes,
even to completion.
I pray God to bless the inhabi-
tants «f Logan and those of the
towns round about in this valley,
and throughout all our mountain
regions ; and that his peculiar bless-
ings and favor may continue to
attend us while we so-journ in these
mountains, and go with us when
Zion shall be redeemed in all its
fulness. Amen.
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC,
155
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Deuveiied in THE 14th Ward Mbeting House, Sunday Eveninqj
December 7th, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine,)
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED — THE GOSPEL TO THE DEAD
— ^VARIOUS DISPENSATIONS OF THE MOST HIGH TO MANKIND — POWEK
OF THE PRIESTHOOD— RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL THROUGH JOSEPH
SMITH — FAILINGS OF THE SAINTS — CORRUPTIONS OF THE WICKED.
We meet together from time to
time to speak, to hear, to reflect, to
converse, and to exchange views in
regard to the worship of Almighty
God. There is something associated
with these matters that has gene-
rally attracted the attention of the
human family in all ages, among
all peoples, and under almost all
eircuti: stances. There is and always
has been a feeling of reverence exist-
ing among the human family for a
Divine Being of some kind and of
some form, even amongst the most
low and debased people of the earth.
The position that we occupy in the
world, our ideas of the mutability
of affairs of time and sense, the
continuous departure of one after
another from this stage of existence
to another, leads us, as well as other
portions of the human family gene-
rally, more or less to reflect upon
those things pertaining to the future.
Various ideas and theories have
existed amongst different peoples.
Some have worshipped a great
variety of Gods of their own making,
while others have followed the
notions and theories of men in
regard to certain doctrines formulas
theories and ideas that have been
promulgated among what would be
termed the wise, the prudent, and
the intelligent of the earth. But in
relation to religious matters there is
no one can have any true or correct
conception of a hereafter unless it
has been revealed by the Almighty,
who alone is able to comprehend the
end from the beginning and is
acquainted with the position and
destinies of men and of the world.
We have had revealed to us
from time to time, as manifested in
the Scriptures, developed therein,
many ideas pertaining to God and to
futurity ; but any intelligence in re-
gard to these matters was generally
obtained directly from the Lord, or
through the ministering of angels,
or by the Spirit of prophecy and reve-
lation given to them by the Al-
mighty. And it is emphatically
stated in the Scriptures that " the
things of God knoweth no man but
by the Spirit of God," and hence
when men assume to comprehend
principles pertaining to futurity,
predicated upon the learning, the
wisdom, the intelligence or the
science of the world, they are always
very much at fault. Who can com-
prehend the Almighty or under-
156
JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES.
stand his designs ) As one of old
said, " It is high as heaven." What
can'st thou know 1 "Deeper than
hell.'* Who can penetrate its myste-
ries 1 What really do we know?
To commence with, who can under-
stand the designs of God in relation
to the organization of this world, or
in relation to the position of man
and his destiny 1 His past opera-
tions, his present dealings with the
nations and his designs in the
future, to the uninspired, are all
a profound enigma. Who knows
^mything about it? We find all
kinds of theories, notions and
opinions in existence at the present
day, but what do they amount to ?
What would my unsupported opinion
be worth, or what would anybody's
opinion be in relation to these
matters? It would amount to
nothing. In regard to other princi-
ples, of a more material nature that
we are intimately associated with,
there are certain facts that scientists
and men of intellieence always wish
to be demonstrated, and unless they
are, they pay very little attention to
any unsupported hypothesis. If this
be true in regard to the known
sciences, how much more particular
should we be in regard to more
important matters. Theories, hypo-
theses, notions, dogmas and opinions
amount to very little when associa-
ted with the great and eternal prin-
ciples connected with the welfare of
mankind, and the salvation of a
world. And hence we need some-
thing higher, something of more
intelligence than anything that man
possesses to give unto us information
pertaining to these matters.
When God created the world and
placed man upon it he had certain
ideas and designs that were fixed,
immutable, and eternal, they were
based or predicated, in the most con-
summate wisdom; the most profound
intelligence ; the wisdom and intelli-
gence, if you please, that dwells
with the Gods. The or^nization of
the heavens and the earth, the crea-
tion of the world as we understand
it, and also the creation of man and
beast, fowl, fish and insect, and
everything that exists upon the face
of this earth. There was an object
and design in relation to all these
matters. We could know nothing
about that, however, unless it had
been revealed unto us, unless it had
been communicated by the being
who knows the end from the begin-
ning, and who comprehends all
things pertaining to the present con-
dition as well as the past and the
future destiny of the human family
and of the world.
Certain men in different ages have
told us, so it is recorded here in the
Bible, about certain communications
which they had from the Almighty.
They seemed to have a mode and
manner of approaching him, and he
in the various dispensations made
choice of and selected individuals
through whom and to whom he
communicated his will to the human
family. There is something very
remarkable in regard to these things.
There are many remarkable things
in the old antediluvian history of
the world, that we have only very
imperfectly related to us in the
Bible. We read, for instance, of a
man by the name of Enoch — we are
told in the Bible that -'Enoch walk-
ed with God ; and he was not, for
God took him." That is about all
that is said about him except that
he was a man that feared
God. But Enoch, when we
come to know more of his history
from the revelations that have been
given, we find, was a man that had
communication with God from time
to time. The Bible says be walked
with God and was not, for Qod took
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINTED, ETC.
157
him, but in other revelations which
we have received, we have an
account of the kind of ministry that
he had, the labors that he performed
the preaching that he did, the mani-
festation of the power of God on his
behalf, and finally of his gathering
together a large number of people.
That lie built a city ; that in that
city they were under the guidance,
direction and control of the Al-
mighty ; and that he and his city and
people, or many of them, were
translated, and hence as the Bible
says, " he was not for God took
him," and he also took the people
that were with him, those that
feared him and worked righteous-
ness.
There are other events associated
with these matters which are very
interesting when we come to examine
them. The people had corrupted
themselves very much, departed
from the law of God, violated his
ordinances, and committed all kinds
of iniquity, so that, as the Bible
tells us, all the thoughts of their
hearts were only evil and that con
tinually, and it repented the Lord
that he had made man because of
the wickedness and corruption that
then existed. We have a very
short account of this in ihe Scrip-
tures, but through other means that
have been communicated to us we
have received a further knowledge
of these matters ; for other men that
embraced the Gospel in former ages
became preachers of righteousness as
well as £noch. They had the Spirit of
the Gospel as Moses had it, as Jesus
had it, and as we have it. They
held communion with God and were
under the inspiration of the
Almighty, in their administration,
and when they came together —
those that feared Grod and worked
rightidousness — ^they had visions and
revelations and prophesied of events
that should transpire. There were
many prophets in those days and
they prophesied of a prison house
that God had prepared, told the peo-
ple of the destruction that was
coming upon the earth : that they
should be swept off the face of the
earth by the waters of the flood and
that none should be spared except a
few to perpetuate the name and fame
of the Almighty and again propagate
their species. This is a thing that
has seemed very singular to some
men who do not comprehend the
designs of God, and they suppose
that there was a degree of cruelty
attached to the Almiglity in sweep-
ing off the whole people of the land,
with the exception of a veiy few.
They assume to say there was a
degree of injustice, cruelty and
tyranny associated with it. How-
ever, that is for want of an under-
standing of correct principle, and the
designs of the Almighty, and many
conclusions that people arrive at,
predicated upon the same ground —
arise from a lack of understanding
the principle that they talk about.
There are some principles con-
nected with these things which put
matters in a very different light.
When we understand the nature of
man, when we consider that he is
a dual being, that he is possessed of
a body and spirit, that he is associa-
ted with time and with eternity,
that according to the Scriptures the
spirits of all men were created before
this world was made, and that G^d
is the God and Father of the spirits
of all flesh ; and being God and
Father of the. spirits of all flesh, it
was his right and his prerogative to
dictate what should be done for the
benefit of those spirits and his
children that he had created here
upon the earth. It was not a
matter of theory, according to the
opinions of men, but an immutable
158
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
plan, according to the eternal wisdom
of God as it existed in his bosom
before the world was, or "before
the morning stars sang together and
all the sons of God shouted for joy."
These spirits, that he was the father
of, had their rights and privileges
and immunities ; and as he had
created man upon the earth or pre-
pared a tabernacle, or a body, if you
please, for these spirits to inhabit, it
became his interest, as the Father of
the human family, to look after
their welfare. They had been led
aside by the influence of Satan and
had corrupted themselves and
departed from correct principles,
and violated the law of God, and
became degraded and sunken in
iniquity and infamy. Now, suppose
we take ourselves back into the
presence of our FatheV, and looking
down upon these degraded wretches
that inhabited the earth at that
time, would we not turn to our
Father as a just Grod and say,
" Father, do you see the corruption,
the degradation, the infamy and the
evil that exists and permeates the
world of mankind r '*Yes, yes, of
course I see it." "Is it just that
our spirits should be condemned to
go and inhabit the bodies of these
men, or of their seed, that are so
£ftllen, so degraded and so corrupt,
and whose actions and operations are
80 at variance with thee and thy
laws 1 Is it just and equitable that
we should go and be mixed up with
these infamies and be led astray like
them into the paths of vice and
sofTer for things that we have not
done and could not help ourselves
in ; is it just 1" "Why, no it is not^
and I will cut them off j and as
they possess the power of propa-
gating their species upon the earth,
I. will stop that power by a flood
and raise up another people, that
Joatice may be done you, my sons
and daughters, and that the judge
of all the earth may do right."
When we look at things in that
point of view, it places them in ano-
ther position from what they would
appear otherwise, and justifies the
ways of God with man.
Now, when this event took place,
people were cast into the pit, into
the prisons, as it had before been
said that they should be. Well,
what about thati Trace things for-
ward to the time that Jesus appeals
upon the earth, and we see something
then pertainingto these very individu-
als, in the actsof the Almighty, as they
transpired at that time. When
Jesus accomplished his work, when
he had fulfilled the mission that he
had to do here upon the earth, and
when he was put to death in the
flesh and quickened by the Spirit,
he went and preached to the spirits
in prison " that some time were dis
obedient when once the long suffer-
ing of God waited in the days of
Noah ;" and although they had
suffered the wrath of Almighty God,
he who had come to • proclaim
deliverance to the captive, to open
the prison doors to those that were
bound, to release them and to pro-
claim the acceptable time of the
Xiord, he went to them as their
Savior, in common with others, and
preached the Gospel unto them.
Hence we find the acts of God jus-
tified in relation to these matters,
and while he had power to destroy,
while he had power to send them to
prison, he aUo had power to con-
ceive a plan for their deliverance
therefrom, when the time should
come that they should be delivered
after they had suffered sufficiently
for the crimes, evib and iniquities
that they had committed upon the
earth. There are many singular
things associated with theto matters
that mea do not really comprehend.
HOW A KN'OWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC.
159
' : J
We come again to another promi-
nent character; that is Abraham,' a
very remarkable man in his day and
age ; although at the present time
men look upon him as a kind of an
old shepherd, a man that attended
flocks and herds and sheep, a sort of
herdsman and a shepherd ; and
there was very little of him anyhow
except that he lived in his day al-
most as a barbarian. That is the
opinion that many men have formed
of him — that he was something like
our backwoodsmen, some of our
farmers who have not mixed up
with the ^lite of society, or made
themselves familiar with the intelli-
gence that pervades the world. I
look upofh' hltti as another character
entirely, imA from information that
we can gather from revelations that
have been referred to, we find that
there was something very peculiar
about him. We read his history
and we find that he was a man that
sought after rightousness, that he
desired to obtain more righteousness,
that he examined the records of his
fathers, that he found in examining
the records, tracing them back
through the flood, clear away back
unto Adam's day, he found many
circumstances that were connected
with maiikind, not only to Adam's
day, but before the world was. In
doing this, amon^ other things, he
found he had a nght to the priest-
hood. I need not stop to tell you
what that is, you Latter-day Saints.
You understand it ia the rule and
government of (Jod, whether in the
heavens or on the earth, and when
we talk of the kingdom of God we
talk of something that pertains to
rule, government, authority and do-
ihinion ; and that priesthood is the
ruling principle that e^dsts in the
keavfens or on the earth, associated
Wth the aflfairs of God. Hence, we
art told iri'thie Scriptttres that Chiidt
was a priest forever after the order
of Melchisedec. Then of what order
was Melchisedec "? A priest for ever
after the order of the Son of God,
for if Christ was after the order of
Melchisedec, Melchisedec must have
been after the order of Christ, as a
necessary consequence. Very well
Now, then, in relation to that priest-
hood it was something that mini-
stered in time and through eternity ;
it was a principle that held the keys of
the mysteries of the revelations of
God, and was intimately associated
with the Gospel, and the Gospel,
wherever it existed, was in posses-
sion of this priesthood ; and it could
not exist without it. It always
" brought life and immortality to
light." The notions and opinions
and religions of man generally are
altogether devoid of a principle of
that kind, they know nothing about
it. Whenever men are placed in
communication with God and are in
possession of the Gospel of the Son of
God, it brings life and inmiortality
to light, and places them in relation-
ship with God that other men know
nothing about.
They were spoken of in former
times as the "sons of God." " Now
are we the sons of God, and it doth
not yet appear what we shall be ; but
we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him : for we shall
see him as he is." It was this priest-
hood that would be the means of
introducing him into the presence of
God that Abraham found that he
was a rightful inheritor of, according
to his lineage and descent, and he
applied for an ordination, which he
received, according to the revelation
given unto us, and with that ordina-
tion the powers, the blessings, the
light, intelligence and revelation as-
socij^ied with the Gospel of the Son
of God. And what then 1 The next
that we read of is that he had the
r
160
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
Urim and Thummim, and thus he
sought unto God for himself, and
while searching unto him, God re-
vealed himself unto Abraham and
said : "I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse them that curseth
thee, and in thee shall all famiUes of
the earth be blessed." There is
something very remarkable about
this when we reflect upon it, and
when we examine the position that
he occupied, and that his seed occu-
pied, we can see the fulfillment of
these things. Afterwards, the Lord
revealed himself to him from time to
time, communicated his will to him,
and he was made acquainted with
the designs of the Almighty. The
Lord showed unto him the order of
the creation of this earth on which
we stand, and revealed unto him
some of the greatest and most sub-
lime truths that ever were made
known to man. He got these through
revelation from God and through the
medium of the Gospel of the Son of
God.
Well, let us look a little at the
fulfillment of some of these things.
'^ 1 will bless them that bless thee ;
and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed." We read some-
time afterwards of Isaac and Jacob.
Jacob had communication with God.
The Lord appeared unto him from
time to time, and revealed his pur-
poses and designs unto him. Abra-
ham prophesied that the children of
Israel should be in bondage in Egypt
for 400 years, that after that time
they should be delivered; and Moses
was raised up as a deliverer and he
conversed with God. He saw a bush
that burned with fire, and the bush
was not consumed. He afterwards
conversed with the Lord upon mount
Sinai, and received tables of stone
written upon by the finger of God,
which were the commandments of
the Lord to the children of Israel.
And who was Moses ] A descend-
ant of Abraham.
We also read of prophets who, by
the spirit of inspiration, could draw
aside the dark vail of futurity and
penetrate into the invisible world,
and contemplate the purposes of
God as they should roll forth in after
ages in all their majesty and power
and glory. And who Jwere they 1
They were the seed of Abraham.
We read that Jesus, also, who was
the Son of God, was bom of the seed
of Abraham according to the flesh.
Who were His apostles 1 The seed
of Abraham. Then there were
Nephi, Lehi, Ishmael and others
who came from the land of Jerusa-
lem to this continent according to
the Book of Mormon. Who were
they? The seed of Abraham. There
were also the Twelve Apostles called
and set apart upon this continent,
who went forth by the power and
Spirit of God, aided by intelligence
and revelation such as they never
had on the other continent. Who
were they 1 The seed of AbrahauL
*' In thee shall all the families of the
, earth be blessed;" — not cursed; that
was not whiat the priesthood of God
was introduced for, but to spread
light, truth, and intelligence, to un-
fold unto mankind the ways, pur-
poses and designs of God, to msJce
man acquainted with his origin,
his position in life and his future
destiny ; and to make him.
acquainted, as an eternal, intelligent
being, with things past, with things
present, and with things, to come.
This is what Jesus taught them on
the continent of America. " It is
expedient for you that I go away,
for if I go not away the comiorter
will not come unto you ;" which i&
the Spirit of God. And what shall
it do 1 It shall bring things past to
your remembrance. You shall be
made acquainted with the actions
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC,
161
of the ancient principles and
of God in ages that have pre-
ceded you. It shall lead unto all
truth. You shall comprehend all
matters that are necessary for you
to know by the light, intelligence,
and revelation which flows from
God. And what else shall it do ]
It shall show you of thiags to come.
It shall draw aside the vail of the.
invisible world. It shall make you
acquainted with the things pertain-
ing to eternity, and you will be
enabled to square your lives accord-
ing to the eternal principles of
intelligence as it dwells in the bosom
of God, and as the Holy Ghost will
make known and reveal unto you.
It is this priceless treasure that is
spoken of that we possess in earthen
vessels " that ye are came," says
Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews,
"unto Mount Zion, and unto the
city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to the enumerable
company of angels. To the general
assembly of the first born which
are written in heaven, and lo God
the judge of all, and to the spirits
of just men made perfect. And to
Jesus the mediator of the new cove-
nant and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than
that of Abel.;*' Thi^ is what the
Gospel does for you. it brings life
and immortality to light.
These are some, of the leading,
prominent pi^inciples as they have
existed heretofore, along, with thou-
sands, of others that we have not
time to mention or touch upon this
evening.
Now, we will come to other events,
of later date ; events with which we
are associated-^I refer now to the
time that Joseph Smith came among
men. What was his position 1 and
how was he situated? I can tell
you what he told me about it. He
saijl that he was very ignorant of
No. 11.
the ways, designs and purposes of
God, and knew nothing about them;
he was a youth unacquainted with
religious matters or the systems and
theories of the day- He went to
the Lor(i, having read James* state-
ment, that " If any of you lacl?
wisdom let him ask of God that,
giveth to all men liberally and
upbraideth not ; and it shall be
given him.*' He believed that state-
ment and went to the Lord and ask-
ed him, and the Lord revealed him-
self to him together with his Son
Jesus, and, pointing to the latter,
said : "This is my beloved Son, hear
him.** He. then asked in regard to
the various religions with which he
was surrounded. He enquired
which of them was right, for he
wanted to know the right way and
to walk in it. He was told that
none of them was right, that they
had all departed from the right way.
that they had forsaken God the
fountain of living waters, and hew-
ed them out cisterns, broken cis-
terns, that could hold no water.
Afterwards the Angel Moroni came
to him and revealed to him the Book;
of Mormon, with the history of which^
you are generally familiar, and aU|o •
with the statemeiits that I am now/
making pertoiniiig to these things./
And then came Nephi, one of the
ancient prophets, that had lived.,
upon this continent, who had an
interest in the welfare of the people »
that he had lived amongst in tho^e
days.
But how is it* ill relation to these
people and in regard to some of'
these matters I Why and hpw^
shoul4 these, ihen that have lived,
here upon the eartSb haVe anythii;ig
to do with the.pebple that now live-
upon itt You ''Latter-day Saints.,
ought to be ,acqUainted with these,|
matters, and I suppose you are,; bu^ ♦
I win show one or two princt"!
162
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
pies here in case, peradventure, there
may be those present who have not
thought or reflected properly upon
the subject. TheMelchisedec Priest-
hood, we are told by Paul, is without
beginning of days or end of years.
He speaks of Melchisedec as a man
^'without father, without mother,
without descent." Now, he would
be a very singular man, according to
our idea of things, without father or
mother, without beginning of days
or end of years, but it was the priest-
hood of which he spake in contra-
distinction to the priesthood of
Aaron. He was then among the
Jews. The Jews beheved in the
Aaronic priesthood ; but they knew
very little or nothing about the
Melchisedec priesthood, and a man
to be a priest of Aaron must be a
literal descendant of Aaron, and of
the tribe of Levi, and he must be
able to prove his lineage from the
records. But in contra-distinction to
this priesthood there was the priest-
hood of Melchisedec, hence we come
to account for some of these things
of which I have been speaking.
And now I will go a little further in
regard to this matter. I find, for
instance, a man by the name of
Moses who lived at a certain time to
•whom I have referred. I find ano-
ther man by the name of Elijah, who
was a great prophet and who had
gr«at power with God, among other
things in controling the elements, in
shutting up the heavens and in
a^ain opening them by his prayer of
faith under certain circumstances,
which it is not necessary for us now
to enter into. We find that when
Jesus was here upon the earth he
ascended a mount with his disciples,
Peter, James and John, and there
appeared unto them Moses and
Jmioh, in great glory. Peter, turning
to Jesus, said, " Ijord, it is good for
lis tp be here, if thou wilt, let us
make here three tabernacles, one for
thee and one for Moses, and one for
Elias." Now then, the question
arises. What was Moses doing here?
What was Elias doing here 'i Where
had they come froml Why, they
had the Gospel. The Gospel is an
everlasting Gospel as spoken of in
the Scriptures, and associated with
that Gospel is the priesthood
that administers in time and in
eternity. And Moses, who had
led the children of Israel out of , the
land of Egypt, and had conversed
with God and given the law of the
Lord unto the people, with
Elias the prophet, who was also a
man of God — the Melchisedec priest-
hood, which held the keys of the
mysteries of God, and it ministers in
time and in eternity. Both of these
men had ministered on the earth,
and, holding that priesthood in the
heavens they came to minister to
Jesus, and to Peter, James and
John, upon the earth. There is
nothing very remarkable about that.
We come again to John on the
Isle of Patmos, where he had been
banished because of his religion. I
do not know whether he was a prac-
tical polygamist or not ; but his
religion was very much opposed te
the ideas and theories of the people
in that day. He was a Christian
and he dared to fear God and keep
his commandments, and they banish-
ed him to the Isle of Patmos, that
he might labor amongst the slaves
there in the lead mines. But while
there, being in possession of the
light, the truth, the intelligence and
revelation that proceeeded from God,
he gazed upon the purposes of Gtxl
as they should roll forth in a subse-
quent period of time, and he con-
templated the position of man in the
various ages of the world unto the
time that the heavens and the eartk
should pass away ; when there
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS QBTAINTED, ETC.
163
should " be a new heaven and a new
earth whereon dwelt righteousness."
He gazed upon all these things and
fell down at the feet of the angel to
worship him, whereupon the angel
said, *' See thou do it not ; I am thy
fellow servant, and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus ;
worship God, for the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of pro-
phecy." In other words : " I was
like you once, on the earth, perse-
cuted, cast out, condemned, despised
had every kind of opprobrium and
approach cast upon me ; wandered
about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, afflicted, tormented ;
wandered in deserts and mountains,
and dwelt in dens and caves of the
earth. I am one of thy fellow
servants the prophets, I have fought
the good fight, finished my course, I
have kept the faith, I was true to
my covenants, my God, and my
priesthood, and I come now to
minister to you." Again who more
likely than Mormon and Nephi, and
some of those prophets who had
ministered to the people upon this
continent, under the influence of the
same Gospel, to operate again as its
representatives'? Who more likely
than those who had officiated in the
holy Melchisedec priesthood to
administer to Joseph Smith and
reveal unto him the great principles
which were developed 1
Now, then what has he revealed ?
Anything new 1 Why, yes ; a new
Crospel ; but an everlasting Gospel.
What is it that John said he saw 1
^'I saw another angel fly in the
midst of heaven having the ever-
lasting Gospel to preach to them
that dwell upon the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people, saying with a
loud voice, fear.God, and give glory
to him, for the hour of his judgment
is come." Did John see that among
other things 9 Has it come to passi
Yes, it has, '' And in thee shaU all
the families of the earth be blessed."
Who Was Joseph Smith ? The Book
of Mormon tells us he was of the
seed of Joseph that was sold into
Egypt, and hence he was selected as
Abraham was to fulfil a work upon
the earth. God chose this young
man. He was ignorant of letters as
the world has it, but the most pro-
foundly learned and intelligent man
that I ever met in my life, and I
have traveled hundreds of thousands
of miles, been on different continents
and mingled among all classes and
creeds of people, yet I have never
met a man so intelligent as he was.
And where did he get his intelli-
gence from ] Not from books ; jiot
from the logic or science or philo-
sophy of the day, but he obtained it
through the revelation of God made
known to him through the medium
of the everlasting Gospel. Now.
people who are ignorant of these
things are ready to point the finger
of scorn, and heap contumely and
reproach upon him and upon others
who dare have the hardihood, as
they say, to express the same kind
of sentiments that he did. I dare
do it ! I have done it among tho
nations of the earth, and dare do it
to-day before any man or any set of
men that the world can produce, and
I defy them to successfully contra-
vert or overturn any principle that
God has revealed through the Gospel
of the Son of God in these last daysl
But could Joseph Smith help
being selected of Godi There is,
to say the least of it, an intelligence
displayed that the world knows
nothing of. Is that to be despised I
fs that to be regretted ? Was he the
enemy of man ? No ; no more than
Abraham was; no more than the
prophets were ; no more than Jesus
I was j but could Abraham, or the pro-
1G4
joukkAl of discouusss.
phets Imow what God was going to
dcflioailkd of them 1 Nt), they could
nol* And if they could not, if they
were to tell a truth that God has
revealed to them, would Aeir tell-
ing it make it a falsehood 1 I think
not. It was an unplesusant thing for
a man. to rise up and tell-the people
thtjy were wrong. To go to our
divines — our right reverend divines
— and their followers and tell them
they were all out of the way ! I
expect, they would be no more
satisfied with such a meseage than
the: same class were with the teach-
ings of Jesus when he spoke of the
Scribes and Pharisees and called
them hypocrites, like unto whited
sepulchres which appeared fair on
the Qutside to men, but inwardly
they were nothing but rottenness
and dead men's bones. This was
not very palatable for some of the
wise of the Jews and some of the
leading men of that day who pro-
fessed such a great amount of piety.
But he came to tell them the truth,
not to speak his own words but the
words of his Father who sent him
and to communicate those great
piiociples which God had revealed
to;him. .
Well, . now, do I believe that
Joseph Smith saw the several angels
alfeged to have been seen by. him as
described, one after another 1 Yes,
I do. Why do I believe it? Be-
ca))se I obeyed this Gospel. And
what was there connected with the
obeying of it? What was the
Gqi^l that he taught] Precisely
thygilsame as that that Jesus and his
disciples taught both on the conti-
nen% of Asia and on this continent.
"What did he do 1 Why, says he to
his disciples ; " Go ye into all the
WQjrld and preach the Gospel to
ev^wcy qreature." Was he an enemy
of ..mankind? I thii^k not. Go
untQ all. the world and tell them, of
the love of God to man, preach th&
Gospel to every creature, and, •* her
that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved ; but he that believeth not
shall be danmed." What else?
" And these signs shall follow them
that believe ; in my name they shall
cast out devils ; they shall speak
with new tongues. They shall take
up serpents, and if they drink any
deadly thing it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover." Here was
something practicable, something
real, something intelligent, some-
thing that was worthy of a God,,
communicated by the Son of God
for the welfare of the human family.
What have we now? Ideaa^
notions, theories, opinions, hypo-
theses, and all the various confusion
of ideas and notions, but no man to
say "thus saith the Lord." They
used to say " thus saith the L©rd ;"
they had the word of God for the
people, and not the opinions and
creeds and notions and fancies of
men.
The Lord has restored the same
Spirit by which we know of the
truth of the principles declared by
Joseph Smith and by others. I
know it and .80 do you, many of you,,
who hear me. Was it an injury to
the world in the days of Jesus for
his disciples to go and proclaim saL-*-
vation? I think liot Is it an
injury to the people to-day for us to
proclaim the same Gospel to the
world ? i think not. You can find
very few people who will do what
thousands of our elders have done —
go out without purse'<»r scrip to pro-
claim the glad tidings of salvation,,
things that they not only believe in
but know for themselves before God
that they are true — go out as the
friends of mankind to publish the
same. Gospel undeof the same
djuthority that others h^ in former
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC.
1C5
ages. Did they prosecute and per-
oiieeute tixen in former dgee? They
rxiid. Why 1 . Was iit^.l^ecaltt^ they
;Hf^re ti^icked^iEtiid ooixfapt] ' No j/it
iras b^aase. they darea to tell a
corrupt world that Gk)d had spoken,
?that . light and truth had been
revealed from heaven, thf^t the Son
of God had Appeared and that if
they would repent of their sins and
be baptized for the remiaaion of them,
they should receive the Holy Ghost,
that should take of the things of
God and show them unto them.
That was the doctrine they taught ;
that is the doctrine that we teach.
Is there anything very remarkable
about iti Yes, very remarkable.
Is there a people that dare say what
the Elders of the Latter-day Saints
dare say to the world *? I think not.
What have these elders done, many
of whom are herel Gone to the
•ends of the earth without purse or
scrip proclaiming the Gospel of the
Son of God. And what did they
tell the people to do? To repent
and be baptized for the remission of
their sins and to have hands laid
upon them for the reception of the
Holy Ghost ; and you do the same ;
you baptize them when they believe
in the name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
And what does a name mean?
Power and authority. Supposing a
man was to come here as Governor
or Secretary, or holding any other
office under the government of the
United States ; he comes in the
name of the United States, or by the
power or authority of the United
States, does he not? Yes. But
supposing some of you was to set
up here as Governor, they would
want to see your credentials and
know by what authority you came
here and whether you were appoint-
ed by the legitimate authorities of
the United States or nob. If not.
they would pay no attention toy<:^;
they would look^p^nypujwji v^^
qQ;Damoar<(>W^^ . /ooliah / indiyi^mil,
and^mbreverp .t^y wp)44)^ l^Rp^
UpcHi yoii ;as a fr9.ud. Well, the^if
God does not send 'men, of coi^xse
they caQnot act under the authorji^y
of God j: if they do, they act fraudu-
lently. Now, how .can men go]in
the name of God when they tell you
that God has never spoken for the
last eighteen hundred years, and
that h« does not now reveal himseJfl
That beic^ the case, how then ^ftn
they go forth in the name of God 1
I do not know ; it is a mystery to
me : these people possess some
mysteries wMch I cannot fathom,
and that is one of them. I know of
only three ways of obtaining autho-
rity of that kind — one is by lineal
descent, another by writing, and a
third by speaking. Now, then, if
we can find no record among the
people who profess to teach in the
name of God, and they do not pro-
fess to have a lineal descent, and
they even hold that God has not
spoken for eighteen hundred years
— they place themselves in a very
awkward position. But when you
come to understand, to fully compre-
hend the priesthood held by our
forefathers, you can see by what
authority the Holy priesthood is
conferred upon you. Well, then,
where did you get this authority
from — ^from the world 1 No, the
world did not have it to give, and
consequently you could not get it
from them ; and if God has not
spoken, if the angel of God has not
appeared to Joseph Smith, and if
these things are not true of which
we speak, then the whole thing is an
imposture from beginning to end.
There is no half-way house, no
middle path about the matter ; it is
either one thing or the other. Now
you go forth to the nations of the
166
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
earth in the name of the Lord, I
appeal to jou elders, you contradict
me if you can->and when people
belleye and have been baptized, you
lay yonr hands upon them in the
name of the Lord, and you say unto
them " Receive ye the Holy Ghost,"
and they receive it, do they noti
They do, and you are my witnesses
of that. And what does the Holy
Ghost do 1 It takes of the things of
God and shews them unto us. Can
we conceive of a greater principle,
of one more majestic, and grand,
and noble, and exalted. What is
man 1 A poor feeble worm of the
earth, goiog forth in the name of
God to call upon the human family
to repent and be baptized for a
remission of their sins, and after
the name of God, he lays his hands
upon their head, for the reception of
the Holy Ghost. Who gives iti
God, and it is the greatest evidence
that exists upon the face of the
whole earth ; no men anywhere have
an evidence like that which is given
from the Almighty. It did not
come from us, it did not come from
Joseph Smith, though he was the
medium through which those things
were communicated ; it did not come
from Brigham Young, it did not
come from me or any other indiv-
idual ; it comes as the free gift of
God according to the eternal laws of
the everlasting Gc^spel.
Now, then, here we are. We find
ourselves in this position, having
entered into these principles, we
believe in them and aie willing to be
governed by them.
The Lord, however, has revealed
many other great and important
principles to us, and among these
the eternal covenant between man
and woman. Did Joseph reveal
that principle 1 Yes, he did. Do
you know it ? Yes, 1 do know it ;
it nobody else knows it, I do. Did
he tell you of it 1 Yes, he did ; but
I have had other manifestations be-
sides that, and therefore I know of
what I speak, and I know the prin-
ciple is of God. Now there are
some people who tell us we are veiy
wicked. Are wet Why, yes, in
many respects we are. But not in
that ! not in that ! not in that !
Are we careless ? Are we indiffer-
ent 1 Are we covetous? Do we
love the world more than we ought
to do, and allow our minds, our feel-
ings and affections to be carried
away by the transitory things of
time and sense 1 Yes, yes, to our
shame, in many instances, be it
spoken; this is true. Do we violate
in many instances the great princi-
ples that God has revealed? We
do, to our shame be it spoken, many
of us ; but we do not violate the law
of God nor tlie laws of chastity in
that thing. Well, what are we to
do ? God has revealed a principle
to us ; do we know it 1 Yes. Do I
know it] Yes. Do youl Yes^
yes, a very great many of you that
are here and hear me speak know it
But does the Congress of the United
States know it? No. Does the
Supreme court know it ? No ; they
cannot know of the things of God
but by the Spirit of God. Do they
know anything about eternal rela-
tionship and perpetuity in the eternal
world ? No, they do not, they are
ignorant of the principle, they know
nothing about it, and w» did not
until it was revealed to us. Now^
then, what is to be done 1 They
place us in a position like this; God
says this is an eternal law associated
with the eternal perpetuity of lives
in time and throughout the eterni-
ties that are to come ; that a man
having a wife must have her sealed
to him for time and for all eternity.
Why, long ago we have heard of a
religion to live by but none to die
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED, ETC.
167
by ; none that could reach to the
other side of the vail and prepare U8
for eternal associations and eternal
lives in the eternal world, or eterni-
ties that are to come. But this
principle involves that thing and
places us in this position : Grod says
" Go and obey my law." Congress
say "No, you shall not doit." Now
the question is — ^who shall we obey?
We would like to be in accord with
Congress. We would like to sub-
mit ourselves to every ordinance of
man. We would like to be good
and peaceable citizens, which we are.
We don't wish, however, to follow
their corruptions — don't we know
enough of them ? Yes, we do. We
know a good deal more about them
than they know about us. We know
their crimes, we know their
licentiousness, we know of the
miUions of murders that are perpe-
trated by mothers and fathers of
children and they know it. Many
of these murders are committed
while the children are pre-natal;
they kill them either before or after
they are born, just as it happens.
We also know of this horrible social
evil that exists among them, and of
the corruption, degradation and rot-
tenness that exist in their midst.
And as I have said to some of them
sometimes, " You come from these
dens of infamy, reeking with corrup-
tion and rottenness, steeped in crime
and bloodshed and you will come
here, will you, and teach morality to
" us ? Go home, attend to your own
business, cleanse yourselves from
your corruptions, for they are a
stink in the nostrils of Jehovah, and
of all honest men, and don't come to
set us right in regard to things that
God has given us to do, and which
with the help of the Lord we will
carry out."
Now, these are our feelings in
relation to these matters. This
Gospel reveals to us, as it did in
former days, the light and intelli-
gence of God. It opens up the
visions of eternity ; it places us in
conununication with the Lord. It
prepares us for life and for death
and for exaltation, and we are going
to go on with our temples and
administer in them in the name of
the Lord. We shall enter therein
and be baptized for the living and
the dead and stand as saviors upon
Mount Zion, and let the world wal-
low in corruption and follow the
evil desires of their hearts, let them
pursue their own course, fighting, if
they please, against the Zion of our
God, but the Lord will be after them
and they will know before they get
through that there is a God that
rules in the heavens and he will say
to them as he did to the waves of
the mighty deep, ^Miitherto thou
shall come but no further, and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed."
What, then, shall we do 1 Fear
God, be faithful, be honest and up-
right and full of integrity and truth-
fulness ; shun evil of every kind,
preserve our bodies and spirits pure,
maintain our covenants before Qodp
and he will smile upon us, he will be
on the side of right, and his king-
dom will grow and increase and
spread until the kingdoms of this
world shall become the kingdoms of
our God and his Christ, whose right
it is to rule for ever and ever.
May God help us to be faithful in
keeping his commandments that we
may be saved in his kingdom, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
168
JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered In The Tabbrnacw:, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
September 21st, 1879..
(Eepoiied by John Irvine,)
THE BOOK OF MORMON AN AUTHENTIC RECORD.
If the congregation will give their
attention, I M^ill read a portion of
the word of God, given in these last
days, dated March, 1829 — a portion
of revelation — through the Prophet,
and Seer, and Revelator, Joseph
Smith, in Harmony, Susquehanna
County, Pennsylvania, a little over
one year before the rise of this
Church, commencing with the 10th
Terse:
" But this generation shall have
my 'v^ord through you ; and in addi-
tion to your testimony, the testimony
of three of my servants, whom I
shall call and ordain, — unto whom I
will show these things ; and they
shall go forth with my words that
are given through you ; yea, they
shall know of a surety, that the.^e
things are true, for from heaven will
I declare it unto them. I will give
them power that they may behold
and view these things as they are,
and to none else will I grant this
power, to receive this same testi-
mony, among this, generation, in this
the beginning of the rising up and
the coming forth of my Church out
of the wilderness : clear as the moon,
and fair as the sun, and terrible as
any army with banners. And the
testimony of three witnesses will I
send forth of my word ; and behold
whosoever believeth on my word,
them will I visit with the manifest-
ation of my Spirit, and they shall be
born of me, even of water and of the
Spirit. And you must wait yet a
little while, for ye are not yet or-
dained ; and their testimony shall
also go forth unto the condemnation
of this generation, if they harden
their hearts against them; for a
desolating scourge shall go forth
among the inhabitants of the earth,
and shall continue to be poured out
until the earth is empty, and the
inhabitants thereof are consumed
away and utterly destroyed by the
brightness of my coming. Behold,
I tell you these things, even as I
also told the people of the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, and my word shall
be verified at this time as it hath
hitherto been verified."
Fifty- two years shall liave passed
to-morrow since the Lord permitted
his holy angel to descend from heaven
and commit into the care and charge
of Joseph Smith, a young man,
plates which had the appearance of
gold, filled with engravings. He
obtained these plates on the 22nd
day of September in the year 1827,
being then not quite twenty-two
years of age. This young man was
not learned, like those educated in
THE BOOKO* MOllMON, ETC.
•m9
colleges and theological institutions;
indeed, he was a farrier's boy, tinac-
quainted with the^ai'gilments, ^nd
'the tenets, and^the^'fcrfeeds, ^and the
institutions of religion that existed
around him, except what he had
heard from time to time, in the
neighborhood where his father resid-
ed ; a young man not versed in the
Scriptures any more than most of the
common lads of that age. And we
all know that there are but a very
few among farmers that have the
opportunity of informing their minds
at so early a period — at the age of
twenty-one — in regard to the doc-
trines and prophecies contained in
the Scripture.
You may, some of you, wonder,
perhaps, why the Lord should select
an instrument of this kind ; why he
did not take a person, more qualified
by education, more experienced in
the doctrines taught among the
human family, more ponversant with
the Bible. You perhaps, may think
in your own mind that if you had
had the selection of the individual to
begin the work of the establishment
Qf the kingdom of God on the earth
in the last days, and you had follow-
ed the best wisdom you had on the
subject, that you certainly would
have selected a person well trained
and skilled in the different doctrines
of the day. But the Lord does not
see as man sees, his thoughts are not
like our thoughts, neither are his
ways like our ways. Hence he chose
a man unconnected with any of the
religious societies ot the day — un-
taught in the Scriptures and doctrines
of the different religious denomina-
tions — he selected a man of his own
choice, as he had frequently done in
former ages of the world.
We all recollect the selection that
the Lord made in relation to David,
when he was called to be king of the
House of Israel, and anointed for
thit purpose. There were, I think,
s^ven 15irethi*en older than David, —
lAeh of fair appearance, men of ex-
perietlce, — men that probably tfheir
neighbors, their acquaintances, would
have selected either one of them in
preference to the youth that was
tending the sheep. But Samuel,
being a prophet of the Lord, when
these certain brethren came up before
him, said : " The Lord hath not
chosen him," and continued to say
so until all the seven had passed by,
and then the inquiry was made, " Is
there not another f* "Why, yes,
there is a boy ; but he is keeping his
fxther*s sheep." " Send and fetch
him," said the Prophet Samuel. He
was brought in, — he was goodly to
look upon, but he was simply a
youth, untrammelled with the tradi-
tions around him, but yet an honest-
hearted boy. The Lord chose him,
the anointing oil was poured upon
his head, and he was appointed to be
the future king of Israel.
Now, the Lord did not have any
prophets in the year 1827 on all the
face of the earth. There was no
Samuel existing, no person who had
the spirit of prophecy ; consequently
the Lord, instead of sending a Sam-
uel, sent an angel to make the selec-
tion. This angel committed, as I
have always said, the plates of the
Book of Mormon, together with the
Urim and Thummim, into the hands
of this youth, and also gave him many
instructions informing him that he
must be very strict in keeping the
commandments of God, and that he
must do with these plates as he was
couDseled from time to time, not to
shew them to everybody that might
wish to see them, but was strictly
forbidden, by the angel, to shew them
unto any person until the Lord
should give him commandment so to
do. He translated these plates un-
learned as he was.' And now let me
170
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ask, would you natumlly expect that
if he — this unlearned youth — did this
by his own wisdom, that it would
agree with the Jewish record in all
the doctrines taught, or said to be
taught in the translation of this re-
cord? Would it be reasonable to
expect that this unlearned, inexperi-
enced youth could be able to sit down
and in a very short period of time
translate a book two-thirds as long as
the Old Testament, without contra-
dicting himself in some way? Would it
be reason able to suppose or to con elude
that he would get all the doctrines,
contained in that Book of nearly 600
pages to agree in every respect with
the ancient Gospel as it was
taught in the New Testament, especi-
ally when there were several thou-
sand different notions in regard to
that doctrine ] We could not expect
any such thing. The more inex-
perienced a man is the less qualified
he is to write, by his own human
• wisdom, and get into proper shape,
a history said to extend over a thou-
sand years or a little more — a
history commencing with the colony
that came from Jerusalem to this
continent, down until the records
were sealed and hid in the earth — a
thousana years' history of a nation,
of two nations that were opposed to
each other, of their wars and their
travels t© and fro upon a large con
tinent, like ours — we would natu-
rally expect that a young man, so
inexperienced, would, by his own
human wisdom, get that country
awfully muddled up as regards places,
as regards the location of cities, and
location of countries. We would
naturally expect, I say, such contra-
diction to occur in the writings of an
unlearned youth.
But what is still more marvellous,
is the prophetic portions of this re-
cord, called the Book of Mormon.
It is full of prophecies from the open-
ing of the record unto the closing
thereof. Predictions, not only con-
cerning events that took place after
this colony left Jerusalem, during
600 years before Christ, predictions
that were to take place down to the
coming of Christ in the flesh,
but predictions that were to be
fulfiUed after the first coming of
Christ down until the end of time.
The book is full of these predictions.
Would you not naturally expect
therefore, could you look for any
other thing than that an inexperi-
enced, unlettered young man, unread
in prophetic history, should contra-
dict himself in different parts of the
record ; speak of an event on one
occasion and forget and speak of
something quite different on ano-
ther? Then again, where did you
find a young man, unacquainted
with the Jewish record, that could
make all these predictions and pro-
phecies coincide with the ancient
prophecies of the Jews ? Would it
be likely that he could do so by his
own wisdom ? I think not. All
these things, therefore, so far as the
history is concerned in the Book of
Mormon, so far as the prophetic
writings are concerned in this late
record, so far as the doctrinal parts
of that Book are concerned, it is a
marvel in the age in which we live;
it is a marvel in my eyes ; but per-
haps my eyes are not constituted as
the eyes of others. To me, however,
it is one of the greatest marvels of
the age. I ani familiar with this ;
and I have read it, perhaps, more
carefully than any other man that
has ever lived in this generation,
and probably ten or fifteen tiroes
more than any other man has done.
Why, when I was a boy, 21 years of
age, I had, for the two years during
my first acquaintance with the book,
read it so much that I could repeat
over chapter after chapter, page
THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC.
171
after page, of many portions of the
Book of Mormon, and could do it
i'ust as well, with the Book closed or
aid to one side, as I could with the
Book open ; and I have continued to
read it from that day down to the
present, without finding one contra-
diction in the book. I have read
the comments, I have read the
writings of our greatest opposers
who have undertaken to examine the
book from the beginning to the end.
I have tried to follow their argu-
ments, in relation to the contents of
this book, but I have never unto the
present day — and it is forty-nine
years since I became acquainted
therewith — been able to find one
contradiction in the whole work.
Can we say as much concerning
the Jewish Bible in the present state
of its existence 1 What is the great
fault found by the opposers to the
Jewish Bible. The infidel says,
" We do not believe it, because it
apparently contradicts itself in
doctrine, in history, and In many
other portions." And the Christian
undertakes to read it, he undertakes
to show that these are not contra-
dictions ; but with the arguments of
the Christian on the one side, and
the infidels on the other, in relation
to the Bible, it is confessed by the
generality of mankind that there
are many contradictions, not original
contradictions, but contradictions
that have been introduced into the
record since it was originally given,
— introduced by the wisdom of man,
or rather by the wickedness of man.
But does the Book of Mormon con-
tradict the teachings of the present
day ? Yes. There is a great differ-
ence between the Book of Mormon
and modern Christian religion ; but
there is no diifference between that
book and ancient Christianity. We
may hunt the wide world over,
amongst some 400 millions of Chris-
tians, so called, and search deeply
for a complete, and good, and
thorough understanding of their doc-
trines, and when we have made our-
selves thoroughly acquainted with
them, take up the Book of Mormon,
compare their doctrines with this
Bible of ancient America, and there
is a great difference, a fundamental
difference, not a trifling difference,
but a 'difference that lies at the
foundation. It is the same when we-
come to compare these modern doc
trines of Christendom with the doc-
trine taught in the New Testament.
Where can we find a man who can
reconcile the two 1 Or the thousand
if you please ? W^ho is able to show
that the New Testament proves and
sets forth clearly the ancient doc-
trine of the Gospel 1 There may be
now and then an item which each
denomination has in accordance with
the New Testament ; but where is
the authority which lies at the foun-
dation of Christianity ? Where is
the man among all these 400
millions of Christians that is a reve-
lator, that is a prophet, or is
inspired of God ] He cannot be
found and yet the ancient Christian-
ity, recorded in the Bible advocates
that great gift as one that lies at-
the foundation of Christianity.
Christianity is built upon it,
built upon Jesus, who was
the great revelator of the Church,
and built upon apostles who were-
also revelators, as well as Jesus, and
who received their revelations by
the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost, by inspiration as men of God.
Can you find such an order of things
in Christendom ] Do any profess-
to have these gifts 1 They say that
they are unnecessary ; they say that-
these gifts were intended for the-
first age of Christianity, but when
Christianity was once established
these high gifts were no longer
•\k2
JOUR>CAL OF DI^OOUilSKS.
necessary. Tliis is their argument
almost as one. They seemed to be
agreed, however much they may be
opposed in oth^r points of doetrine —
they all, almost without an exception,
seem to beagreed that there is no need
of these high gifts of inspiration, and
prophecy, and new revelation that
accompanied the preaching of the
Crospel in ancient times. " The
Gospel is established," say they ;
" we have no need of it.*' As much
as to say that these gifts are no part
of the Gospel ; that the Gospel is one
thing and the gifts are another; that
the Gospel was established by the
evidence of the gifts, but the gifts
are no part of the Gospel. They are
as much a part ot it as faith ; just as
much a part of the Gospel as repent-
ance, as baptism for the remission of
sins, or as the laying on of hands for
the gift of the Holy Ghost ; and to
undertake to separate the blessings
of the Gospel, and then call some-
thing else the Gospel, does seem very
absurd, very inconsistent, and is
something that cannot be proved
from the divine record. Now, here
is something that is of nunor import-
ance, something that is not particu-
larly necessary, that might be called
non-essential, but something that
lies at the very foundation of Chris-
tianity. These gifts are a portion of
Christianity. Revelation, inspiration
and the gift of prophecy, are part
and portion of the Gospel as taught
by the ancient apostles and men of
God, and by our Savior ; and to do
away with these gifts destroys
the fundamental principles of Chris-
tianity.
What does the Book of Mormon
advocate 1 It comes directly in con-
tact with all modem Christendom,
and goes back to the old Gospel as it
was taught nearly 1800 years ago, and
maintains that there niust be in the
kingdom and Church of God, in
every age of the world, these gifts
as well as Outward forms and cere-
monies, — maintains! that these gifts
are^apart 0f the ancient GospeLa&d
must exist wherever the Qospd
exists, — and when they cease the
Gospel ceases to be preached, and
true believers, in a Scriptural sense,
cease to exist with them.
Now, it does not seem likely to
me, that a young man whose beard
had scarcely grown- — a youth untu-
tored, untaught in the sectarian no-
tions ot the day, brought up to labor
hard on his farmer s farm, should be
able to make these great distinctions,
to come out in opposition to all mo
dem systems of religion, and estab-
lish the very fundamental principles
that are necessary to the very exist-
ence of Christianity in the last days.
But God was with that young man.
He was not his own teacher, he was
not left to his own judgment in re-
gard to what Christianity should be
and what it should not be. The
angel that came from heaven and
revealed himself to the youth un-
derstood his mission. He understood
what the Gospel was and should be;
he understood the revelations of St.
John ; he understood that these
revelations never could be fulfilled
unless an angel were sent from hea-
ven in the last days, with the mes-
sage of the Gosjiel to be proclaimed
unto the inhabitants of the earth,
not to a sectional portion of it, not
to sonoe corner of it, or to some ob-
scure people, but to commit the
everlasting Gospel unto the inhabit-
ants of the earth, to be proclaimed
to every nation, kindred, tongue
and people. He understood the dif-
ference between modern Christianity
and ancient Christianity. And when
the Urim and Thummim was light-
ed up by th& power of God, and
magnified before the eyes of this
youth, those ancient characters upon
THE BOOK OF UOftUON, BTC.
I73(i
the plates of the Book of Mortnon,
the distinction was clearly made, be-
tween the purity of the Gospel as it
was taught in ancient days, and the
doctrines and innovations of man as
have been taught during many long
centuries of apostasy.
How I have rejoiced, since I was
a youth of nineteen, in this record !
Why I esteem it, — I was going to
bring up some earthly comparison,
but I will not compare great and
glorious and heavenly things, — so
great, so pure and so important, as
that of the plan of salvation, with
anything of an earthly nature, as
therecannot really beany comparison.
When I look at all the eartlily riches
and grandeur of this world, and then
look at the Book of Mormon and the
Bible, with power to select, which
should I choose 1 Why, the grand-
eur of this world, the riches of this
world, the glories of this world,
would be nothing; they would be
like the dream of a night- vision when
a person is disturbed, not by the
Spirit of God, but by his own co-
gitations in the night. I would look
upon them as nothing, as vanity and
foolishness, as unworthy of the love
or approbation of any man of God,
were they to be set before me and
contrasted with the gloiy of this
book. It is a record given to this
generation as one of the choicest
gifts of heaven ! No other, books
exist upon the face of our globe so
choice as the books which. God has
given in different ages of the world :
the Bible for one, the Book of Mor-
mon for another, and the book called
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
containing the revelations which God
gave through his servant the pro-
phet, during some seventeen of the
last years of his existence here upon
the earth* These revelations,' these
books are more precious than the
riches, and kingdoms, and glories,
and honors of this present life, so far
as I am concerned. Do I esteem
them more than I do my own life ?
I would be unworthy of my Father
and my God in the eternal worlds if
I would refuse to lay down my life,
if it were, required of me of the Lord.
If I should save it for a moment,
and deny the Book of Mormon ; if
1 were to deny the gifts of the Gos-
pel, or any of tlie revelations that
God has given — that are published
in the Book of Doctrine and Cove-
nants — if I were to do such a thing,
could I look upon ray Father's face
without blushing ? could I think
upon God without blushing ] could
I think upon anything that was pure
and holy, without being, in my own
mind, in perfect torment ] If I were
to be so ungrateful as to deny any-
thing that God has given me, I
shoiud be unworthy of the kingdom
of God. I do most sincerely and
humbly hope and trust that the Lord
will not call me and try me in this
respect, for I know the weakness of
man; I know that man has been
weak in all ages, and I do not wish
to be thus tried, I do not covet this
trial, I do not pray for it; but if
ever I should be brought to this
condition, with my present feelings,
with the feelings I have had for a
great many years, I would say :
''Come martyrdom, come burnings
at the stake, come any calamity and
afEiction of the body, that may be '
devised by wicked and ungodly men
— ^let me choose that, and have eter-
nal life beyond the grave ; but let
me not deny the work of Grod."
Why do I thus feel ] If I had not a .
knowledge that the Book of Mormon
was true, I should not have these
feelings. Then I should probably
say, if I only had faith that the .
Book of Mormon is true, " My life
is precious, let me save my life, ,
let me deny something which I do
174
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
not know is true." But when a
person has a knowledge, as I have,
of the divinity of this work, — ^having
this revealed to me when I was but
a beardless boy — I hope never to be
brought in that condition, where the
trial will be upon me, but should it
come I hope to be able to lift up my
hands to high heaven, and say, "Oh
Lord enable me to endure the trials
and afflictions that may come, that I
may be faithful unto death."
Am I the only one that feels in
this way, among the Latter-day
Saints? Are there no other per-
sons that have this knowledge,
excepting your humble servant?
Yes, there are scores of thousand, if
they testify the truth, and I have no
reason to think that they would
falsify their word ; scores of thou-
sands who know as well as they
know they have an existence, that
the Book of Mormon is a divine
record ; that the Bible is a divine
record ; that the revelations given
through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
published in the Book of Doctrine
and Covenants, are divine; they
know it. Would they be willing to
suffer martyrdom? I think they
would. There might be individual
cases, as in ancient times, where
they might reject the truth, lose
their hopes of salvation, to save
their temporal lives ; but take the
great mass of this people, they
would be willing to lay down their
Kves, or be burned at the stake be-
fore they would reject their religion.
How kind, how good was our
Heavenly Father, before the rise of
this Church, after he had inspired
this boy to translate these records ;
how good it was to send an- angel
from heaven to three other persons,
namely : David Whitmer, Martin
Harris and Oliver Cowdery, Joseph
Smith being with them on the
occasion. The angel descended
from heaven, clothed with light and
glory, and, taking these records in
his hands, turned them over leJaf
after leaf, showing to these three
other men, besides the translator,
the engravings on the plates. How
kind this was. A Church was to be
raised up. The Lord was willing
that they should have all the evi-
dence that they could reasonably
ask for, before even the first branch
of the Church was organized. Did
he cDndescend, in many of the past
ages of th^ world, to do so much for
the diS'erent generations that have
lived, as he has done for the present
generation? Look at the days of
Noah. He had a message to deliver
— a message that affected the human
family. He had to tell the people
that were living around him that
God had spoken. ^^ And what has
God said ?*' He has told me that
because of your wickedness he will
send the floods upon you. He will
break up the foundations of the
great deep, he will open the windows
from on high and he will pour out
the floods upon these nations and
they will be swept away root and
branch, except a few that will believe
in my message, and come into the
ark that I am building. How many
witnesses did Xxod raise up then? I
expect he must have revealed him-
self to the sons of Noah, as well as
to Noah. That would be but four
witnesses ; but we have no account
that the Lord revealed himself to
these three sons. They, however,
believed the testimony of their
father ; whether they knew it or not
we do liot know. At any rate their
faith was sufficiently strong to cause
them to labor with the old man, and
they labored along year after year,
weary no doubt, in forming the tim-
bers of this huge ark or vesseL
Finally they got it fixed together,
and the beasts of the field — ^thai
THE BOOK OF MORMON, ETC.
175
appeared to have more inspiration
than the men and the women of
that age, began to come from the
forests towards the ark, and finally
the door was closed. They must
have been prophetic beasts, beasts
that had revelations, beasts that
were able to judge far better than
the world of mankind in that
age. The rains descended, and
the earth was covered with the flood,
and we read that Noah by his testi-
mony condemned the whole world.
What ! One witness 'i One witness
alone condemned the whole world,
and they perished from off the face
of the earth, because one witness
was sent unto them ! The Lord has
done a little better with this genera-
tion. He sent four witnesses before
he organized the Church, and that
was not all. There were other men
that had great testimony and evi-
dence given to them ; but they did
not see the angel ; they did not see
the plates in the hands of the angel ;
but what did they see ? They saw
this boy have these plates. They
took the plates and handled them
themselves. They saw the engra-
vings upon these plates — eight other
men, besides the four I have men-
tioned — and they testify to ^vhat
they saw. They bear witness in
words of soberness, that they did
handle the plates with their own
hands, that they did feel the weight
of the plates, that they did observe
the engravings thereon, that they
had the appearance of ancient work
and of curious workmanship, and
they bear testimony to what their
eyes saw and to what they handled
with their hands. Their names, as
also the names of .the four that saw
the angel, were attached to this re-
cord, when the first edition of that
book was issued from the press.
Twelve witnesses then did God con-
descend to raise up immediately
before he organized this Church.
Are not twelve witnesses sufficient
to condemn the world in this age, if
one witness condemned the world in
the days of Noali? I think that
God has been very lenient, very kind
and very merciful in beginning the
work with so many witnesses.
But there seem to be other wit-
nesses and evidences concerning the
correctness and divinity of this book
that are far greater than those I
have named. There is a promise to
all the human family, that is far
better than the ministrations of an-
gels to others. What knowledge
does it give to me, to you, to any
other person, among all the nations
and kindreds of the earth, concerning
the divinity of the Book of Mormon,
because four witnesses, that lived in
some portion of our globe, state that
an angel had come, from heaven 1
Does that give me a knowledge] No.
Did that impart a knowledge to any
other creature on the face of the
globe] No. Did we not need a
knowledge as well as they ] Yes. I
have a soul as well as these four men
that must be saved or must be lost.
If that be the case, ought I not also
to have a knowledge concerning my
safety as well as they ] I think so.
Has the Lord made it impossible for
me to obtain this knowledge ? No.
The very message itself in the book,
and in the New Testament, and in
the modern revelations that are given
through the prophet, told me, told
you, told all the people upon the face
of this earth, how they also might
obtain a knowledge of the truth of
the Book of Mormon and of this
work How ] By getting a vision
or manifestation from that same
God] No. That we should all
have the ministration of angels]
No. To some is given on© gift, and
to some are given other gifts. To
some it is given to know in one way,
176
JOURNAL OF 0IS(?aURSE.S.
and to some it is given to know in
some other way. The Lord has pro-
mised that if I will repent, if you
will repent, if the people of the
United States will repent, if the
people of all the nations of the earth
will repent, turn unto him and obey
his commandments that they should
receive the Holy Ghost. Will that
give us a knowledge as clear, as
definite, as pointed as could be
revealed by the ministration of an-
gels 1 Yes.
Supposing now that I were a
natural man, never had received the
Holy Ghost. Supposing that a per-
son should come and testify to me
that he had received the Holy Ghost,
that he had received Heavenly
visions, that the Lord had sent
angels to him, what would I know
about iti What would I know
about the Holy Spirit, if I never had
received it? No man can discern
the things of God, but by the Spirit
of God ; so says the Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians. It is impossible
for the natural man to know the
things of God, and if I were a
natural man, and had never partaken
of the Holy Ghost I might hear a
cloud of witnesses testifying to what
they had received. I might say,
" Well you seem a sincere people,
you seem to be honest in your decla-
rations, you say you have had the
visitation of angels, you say you had
heavenly visions, you say the Holy
Ghost has been poured out upon you,
but 1 have never received these
things as a natural man." Now
what reason would there be to con-
demn me on the great judgment day,
if I rejected their testimony ? They
would tell me that I might be put
in communication with the heavens
the same as they. They might tell
me that on certain conditions, I
might obtain the Holy Ghost, a^
well as they, if I would only exercise
I sufficient faith, to repent of my sins
and to be baptized for a remission of
them, and to have the servants of
God lay their hands upon my head
for the reception of the Holy Ghost;
that if I would enter into a covenant
with the Most High God, to obey
his commandments and to call upon
his name in faith, and to exercise
faith before him — I expect if I did
not do all these things, that all this
cloud of witnesses that I have
named, would stand up on the day of
judgment and would condemn me.
But if I would exercise faith though I
had no knowledge, and would obey
the commandments, would be obedi-
ent to the principles, and then I
received for myself the testimony,
I should then be dependent neither
upon David Wliitmer, Martin Harris
nor Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith,
nor any of the twelve witnesses that
saw the plates, nor any other man
living on the whole earth. I could
then say, " Oh Lord, my God, thou
hast fulfilled thy promise which thou
hast made. Thou hast said if I
would repent atid be baptized I
would receive such and such bles-
sings. They have been given unto
me,, and now I know that thy word
is ,true." And from that forth I
could be a witness myself, but before
that I could not be a witness.
Are the ministers of the different
denominations of this day, who
have never had the spirit of revela-
tion upon them — are they competent
witnesses of God to stand before this
generation and "declare the things of
God] No, .Can they stand up in the
great judgment day and condemn
any of this gjenei^tion to whom they
have preached? No. Why noti
From the very fact that they axe
not witnesses. Th^y can tell what .
the ancients say, how the ancients
becaflo^ witxi^sses, but they them-
selves hay^. not an experience, in,
THB BOOK OF MORMON, ETC.
177
these things, and therefore, God has
not made them witnesses. They
cannot condemn any man living on
the face of the earth, by their preach-
ing and their testimony.
We are living, then, in the great
and last dispensation, in which God
has provided a way that he might
raise up scores of thousands of wit-
nesses, a way that all might know
as Peter did. Peter did not get his
knowledge from seeing miracles
wrought. He did not obtain his
knowledge because some other man
had received a knowledge. The
Savior blessed him and said, " Bles-
sed art thou, Simon Barjona, for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven." The Lord had revealed
this kiiowledge unto Peter, conse-
quently Peter was constituted a
witness. And so the Jjord, by
having given revelation from the
Iftavens to scores of thousands of the
Latter-day Saints, has made them
witnesses of the divinity of this
work.
O, bow the Latter-day Saints
ought to rejoice ! How faithful we
all ought to be ! How frivalous are
the things of this present life, com-
pared with the knowledge of God,
which you have! ifeceived I Do you
appreciate this, Latter-day Saints 1
Do you realize it as you ought to, or
are your minds swayed to and fro by
the frivolities and vanities of this
present life? Do they absorb the
greater portion of your attention?
Do you forget your God, the great-
ness of your calling, and the know-
ledge which you have received 1 . I
have not.
I believe that the Latter-day
Saints are the very best people on
the face of our globe. Why? Be-
cause they have been ^willing to en-
dure hardships, persecutions all the
day long. They have been willing
No. 12.
to leave their houses, their lands,
their possessions, haVe been willing
to see all fall into the hands of their
enemies and flee to a desert country
for the sake of their religion. ' Has
God forgotten all these things ? 0,
ye children of Zion ! do you suppose
that the Lord has forgotten, because
many years' have passed away, your
tribulation, your sacrifices — if they
can be called such — ^your mobbings
and persecutions in times that are
past ? No. They are written as it
were on the palms of his hands, they
are printed indelibly upon the
thoughts of his heart. He has all
these things in remembrance, and a
day of controversy is coming, and it
is not far in the future — a contro-
versy for Zion ; a controversy with
all the nations of the earth that
fight against Mount Zion — the Lord
has all these things in his mind, and
he will fulfil them in his own due
time and season. But now is the
day of our tribulation and has been,
for some forty years and upwards
that are past. Are there better
days to conael Yes. How far in
the future I am not prophet enough
to know. All that I do know is
that they are nigh, near at the v^ry
door, wh0ni the Lord will rise^up
and 'come- forth but of his^^fdo^g
place and fulfil that wKicKhe'Iias
^pokeii concerning Zion and ' tbe
inhabitants of this land. Zion is
not destined to be crushed down
forever into the dust. Zion is not
destined to be overcome by the king-
doms of this world forever. The
turning point wiU come, and that is
.nigh At hand. The days are coming
— I know they are close at hand —
when the young and rising genera-
tion that are now sitting in this con*
gregation, and who are spread forth
upon the face of the land, through*
out these mountains and valleys^
will see the turning point for Zioiu
Vol. XXL
'178
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES
^ What will they see ? They will see
' a man raised up like unto Moses in
days of old — a man to whom the
Lord will reveal himself, as he did
to his servant Moses, by angels, by
' visions, by revelation from the hea-
vens, and will give unto him com-
mandments, and make him an instru-
ment in his hands, to redeem the
people and to establish them in
their everlasting inheritance upon
the face of this American continent.
Will he show forth his p©wer in
that day as he did unto his servant
Moses and to Israel? Yes, only
more abundantly, more extensively
than in the days of Moses, for there
is a larger continent than the land
of Egypt, in which the Lord will
make manifest his power — a greater
people than the Egyptians, among
whom he will work. Consequently
he will show forth his power unto
all the inhabitants of this land. He
will fulfil the plain predictions of
the Prophet Isaiah that the Lord
shall make bare his arm in the eyes
of all the nations, until all the ends
of the earth shall see the salvation
of God. What will be said then
concerning this people and Zioni
It will then be said by those that
are spared in the midst of the terri-
l)le judgments that will fall upon
these nations, "Surely the people
called Latter-day Saints, the peopte
of Zion, are the people of our God.
God is there, lus power is there, it
is his power that delivers that people ;
it is his power that is over them as a
cloud by day and the shining of a
flaming fire by night. It is his
power that protects their congrega-
tions, protects their settlements,
protects their holy temple. Let us
no longer fight against Zion or the
people of God, let us enter into the
everlasting covenant which has been
revealed anew. We will join our-
selves with the people of God." In
that day will be fulfilled that which
has been spoken by Isaiah in the
second chapter, by the prophet
Micah, in the four chapter, that in
the last days many nations shall say:
" Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house
of the God of Jacob ; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths, for out of Son
shall go forth the law, and the word
of the Lord from Jerusalem."
May God bless — not the wicked,
not the ungodly, not those that
blaspheme the name of the Lord,
not those that fight against Zion—
but all the true, pure hearted Latter-
day Saints, is my prayer, in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.
179
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOHN MORGAN,
Delivered In The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
May 23rd, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine,)
SOUTHERN states MISSION.
I am pleased to have once more
the privilege of meeting with the
Latter-day Saints, and I trust that
while I shall endeavor to address
you I shall have an interest in your
faith and prayers, that what I may
say may be in accordance with the
mind and will of our Father in
heaven and for our mutual good and
henefit.
To an elder returning home from
missionary labors the privilege of
meeting with the assemblies of the
Saints in their Sabbath day meetings
is one that is very highly prized.
We feel to rejoice in the privilege of
returning to these peaceful valleys
of the mountains, and of listening
to the voice of the servants of God
teaching the principles of the king-
dom of God, and explaining the
mind and will of our common
Father and God in the heavens. I
have often thought and meditated in
regard to this privilege when away
from home traveling in the midst of
strangers, that when here we
scarcely prize and realize the value
of it. And doubtless this is true in
regard to very ma^ny of the great
and glorious principles of the Gospel
We must see the opposite, come in
contact with the opposite ; we have
to taste the bitter before we can
appreciate the sweet ; we have to see
and experience the condition in
which the world is to-day to appre-
ciate the situation the Latter-day
Saints are in.
During the past year, since last I
had the privilege of meeting with
you here, I have been engaged in
preaching the principles of the Gos-
pel in the United States, more
particularly in the Southern States.
Our labors there have, to a greater
or less extent, been crowned with
success. The Lord has opened up
our way. We have been enabled to
reach many of the honest in heart,
and the principles of the Gospel
have been spread by the preachmg
of the elders, and by the distribution
of books and pamphlets, until many
thousands of people in that section
of the country to-day are becoming
acquainted with the principles of
the Gospel, who, twelve months ago,
although possibly aware that there
were such a people as the Latter-
day Saints in the valleys of the
mountains, were ignorant in regard
to the doctrines that they professed
to believe in. I find that within
the past twelve-months quite a
change has taken place in the senti-
180
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ments and minds of the people in
the Southern States relative to the
principles that we promulgate. I
farm my judgment in regard to this
from their actions, and it is said
they speak louder than words.
Something like twelve months ago a
spirit of persecution and mobocracy
was prevalent throughout a great
portion of the South, brought about,
to a great extent, by inflammatory
articles in the newspapers, misrepre-
senting us and our objects, and the
denunciations hurled at us from the
pulpit and from almost all directions,
which resulted in the mobbing of a
number of the elders and the driving
from their homes of quite a number
of families who had embraced the
Gospel in their native land. In
one particular instance an entire
branch of the Church was driven
from their homes, lost their pro-
perty and their means and were
forced to rely upon the generosity of
the Latter-day Saints already gather-
ed to the vaUeys of the mountains
here to enable them to emigrate to
where they could live in peace and
safety. This character of opposition
was very violent, very unpleasant to
. meet with, very unpleasant to have
to deal with, but by the blessing of
. God and the perseverance of the
elders, the obstacles were overcome,
. pur work was pushed forward, and
very many right-thinking, honor-
able men and women, while not con-
ceding with us in a religious sense,-
came out and refuse to endorse the
,^^tion of men who were using viol-
ence, came but in the press, in
..private conversation, in public
speech, and stated that while the
■ Latter-day Saints might.be wrong,
t.he course that was being taken was
^ undoubtedly wrong, that whatever
\ the Ofiture ai^d character of their
doctrines might be, mob-violence,
persecution, and unauthorized, ille-
gal prosecution was not a proper
means of over coming the difficulty.
Even the editors of many of the-
Southern papers conceded that the-
course that was being pursued was-
most unwise, and would have a ten-
dency to bring dozens of converts to-
the "Mormon" doctrines where
there had been one before, which
proved true, as ©ur labors have con-
tinually increased and grown, our
numbers have beon added to, and
the spirit of emigration to gather
out to where they could be protect-
ed in their religious belief has
grown stronger day by day, until we
scarcely need to preach in the-
Southern States the principle of
emigration, so anxious are the peo-
ple to escape from their surround-
ings.
The elders who have been engag-
ed in the Southern States Mission,
have, almost without exception,,
proven themselves worthy of the
trust that was reposed in them.
They have endeavored to perform
the duties devolving upon them as
men and as the servants of God, not
counting privation, slander, e^^K)-
sure, contumely as anything in com-
parison to the great work in wluch
they were engaged.
The Southern people are naturally
a kind-hearted, hospitable, noble-
class of people, with the finer-
instincts of nature more fully devel-
oped than possibly among some^
other classes of people. They recog-
nize the labors of our elders, and
while they may not coincide* with,
our views, yet they give us crecjit
for the determination with which we-
press forward, and the earnestness-
and zeal displayed by our young,
elders in preaching the principles of
the Gospel. Especially was thisN
note-worthy in connection "with the*
very many young elders who had
never been upon missions before, —
SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.
181
.1
young men who had been called
from the various mutual improve-
jit6iSfl associations, unlearned in ,re-
gaiffl'to ti^ cohditSon'^ th^ world,
niiiacquaint^'' WiHi^ itsi (iUstoms,*
maiiners and Habits — especially with'
i,lM claSs was a deep impression
m^e upon the minds of the people.
Hii-t feeling of kindness, which is
•characteristic of the people there,
seemed to feel after those boys,
bdardless boys as they were, as
tlfty stood up in their places,
where thev could obtain a church
or a school house, to preach, and
where they could not obtain a
j)lace, in the open air, by the road
side, or wherever they found a man
jeady to stop and listen to them in
proclaiming the things they had
been sent to declare. It made a
deep impression on the minds of the
people, and, in a number of instan-
ces, while the violent feelings of men
were raised against them, there
were those who said, "We have boys
of our own, and if our boys were in
the place of these, separated from
their homes and their kindred by
thousands of miles, and there were
those seeking to do them violence,
we would feel to bless the hand that
protected them." And, as a general
thing, there came a division, and the
two contending parties were left to
get through the struggle as best they
The Southern States Mission at
the present time is divided into con-
ferences, with a president over each
conference, and traveling elders at
appointed places laboring in the dis-
tricts. Yet, with all that we can
■do, there are localities in the South-
em States to-day, that have been
asking for elders for some consider-
able length of time, which we have
not yet been able to supply, owing
to a deficiency in our numbers. I
discover, in coming in contact with
the people of the United States, that,
notwithstanding the nation numbers
forty millions of peopl©,— a vastin-iv
nunlerable multi'bttdei allDost, i^oin^i
pared to the Lk^tt^t-day S|,ittt«wfad^''
dwell $n these^ distant valleys of thi>^
mountains, — yet, if a company of I
eight, ten, twelve or fifteen eldersj.!
should happen to pass through any> *
of the large . cities, en route to theiu'
fields of labor, th^y are visited by:
reporters, th^^y are interviewed, and
the iaterview is published far and
near, causing considerable excitement
in regard to this small company of
elders going to their fields of labor ;
in fact two elders, going into a local-
ity where the people are unacquain-
ted with the teachings of the Latter-
day Saints, and announcing them-
selves as Mormon elders, will creato
a really moie genuine sensation than
almost any other incident that could
happen, and it is, doubtless, well that
some of us, who are possibly a little
more zealous than wise, should be
restrained in regard to our anxiety
to push the work forward. There isy
however, an abundance of room for
elders to labor throughout the entire-
Southern States. We scarcely ever
preached in a place where we could
not obtain a hearing. We scarcely
ever visited a neighborhood — I do
not recollect of any now — in the
Southern States where I desired a
hearing, but what I could both ob-
tain a place to preach in and a good
sized audience to hear what I had to
say.
. Many of the leading men of the
Southern States, having visited Sal^
Lake City and been treated kindly by
our people — having observed the
thrift, enterprise and peacefulness of
our homes, extended to us many
kindnesses and many courtesies, not-
withstanding that, with the mass of
the people, it was quite unpopular
* to do so. The Governor of one of
183
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
the leading States of the South,
ofTered the use of the Senate Cham-
ber — the representative hall of his
State — ^to preach in, if I was prepar-
ed to use it, extending any courtesy
I desired. Their leading papers free-
ly no.ticed our meetings and publish-
ed thousands of handbills to be dis-
tributed among the people, refusing
any compensation whatever. Many
of these incidents that come to my
mind in regard to the courtesy and
kindness of the people that we have
been preaching the Gospel to, warms
our hearts as elders of Israel, and
we feel to do them good, to bless
them, and benefit them all that we
can.
During the past year, a little over
400 Saints have been gathered from
the Southern States Mission. The
principal part of these have emigra-
ted to the neighboring State of Colo-
rado, in San Luis Valley, 250 miles
south and a little to the west of
Denver, where the Saints have found
a good valley, most excellent land
and timber, water, grass, and all that
is necessary to enable them to build
up a settlement and locate them-
selves. I had the privilege of visit-
ing them in their homes a number of
times, and while they have had the
privations that are incidental to the
formation of a new settlement every-
where, yet they have been blessed
and prospered. The people of the
State of Colorado have, as a rule,
treated them kindly, have welcomed
them to their borders, have endea-
vored to benefit them, and assisted
them in forming their settlements all
they could. The railroad, that has
been in process of construction for
the past two years, runs down the
centre ot the valley, within three to
five miles of our line of settlement,
BO that we have easy railroad com-
munication. Our rates for emigra-
tion are exceedingly low. The rail-
road companies have extended to u&
many courtesies and kindnesses, and
have sought to do what they could .
— apparently being moved upon by
the right Spirit — to enable us to ga-
ther those who were unable to gather
themselves, and to assist those wh#
were but little able to gather. In
the location of the settlement in the
State of Colorado, there are now, I
believe, 500 Latter-day Saints from
the Southern States, which will pos-
sibly be augmented by 300 more this
season, if deemed prudent to do so.
In the first town that was located^
all the lots have been taken up.
Another location of similar dimen-
sions is being occupied, while still
another will be occupied some few
miles distant from the first two iu
the course of the next two or three
months.
The health of the Saints has n<»t
been as good as could have been
desired, principally owing to the
fact that in emigrating from the
Southern States — a malarious dis-
trict to those great, dry altitudes-;-
' the changes thus brought to bear
upon them were calculated to pro-
duce sickness to a greater or less ex-
tent. The scourge of measles passed
through the settlement in the month
of April ; some 160 cases. Our
neighbors, at a railroad town near
by, where there were about an equal
number of inhabitants that we had,
with all the appliances of physicians
and drug stores, lost quite a large
percentage of their cases of sickness.
In the town of Alamosa, some twen-
ty miles distant from our settlement,,
where there were almost an equal
number of cases, there was quite a
large percentage of deaths. In about
165 to 170 cases that occurred in our
settlement, I think there were but
three or four deatha from measles.
When I was talking to the Mayor of
Alamosa, he called my attention ta
SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.
183
the disparity of deaths in that town
in comparison with those that had
occurred in our settlement, and asked
me if I thou^t the location of tha
town of Alamosa unhealthy. I re-
pUed I thought not, that it was
equally healthy with our settlement.
He asked me to what I attributed
the number of deaths. I replied that
I believed they were attributable to
the number of drug stores and phy-
sicians they had in it, that that was
the cause, as I earnestly believed, to
a greater or less extent, of the dis-
parity of the number of deaths.
With some 500 inhabitants in our
settlement with quite a number ot
cases, some of them very serious,
there has never been a physician
called to prescribe one single pre-
scription to any of these people, and
I have an idea that if we were to
look at them to-day we would find
them equally healthy with those of
the adjacent town where there are
several physicians with two drug
stores to draw their supplies from.
The people in the settlements are
satisfied with their location. I
heard but very little complaint, and
what complaints I did here were, I
thought, almost entirely due to the
inconvenience incident to emigration,
to breaking up their homes, to dis-
posing of their property, to riding
distances upon r£nlroads, landing at
their destination wearied, to not be-
ing so carefully housed and protect-
ed for a limited length of time after
their arrival, and to their being
unacquainted with the country. I
believe, however, that out of the 500
souls emigrated there have been but
four turned back from the work and
returned to their former homes. I
heard no expression of a desire to
return on the part of any one when
I was thare. Wishing to test this
as I was returning back to the
States, I publicly made the offer
that if there were any persons who .
desired to return back to their old .
homes, to lay down the principles of.
the Gospel and forego the gathering,
I would see and accompany them
back, and if there were any unable
to go back with their own means, a
fund would be raised for the pur-
pose if desired. I received no appli-
cations, hence I was led to believe
that the people as a rule were satis-
fied with their situation and sur-
roundings.
Adjacent to our settlement there
is a large number of Mexicans who
live in piazzas, as they term them,
which are capable of accomodating
from ten to fifty families in a piazza.
These people have had rather an
unpleasant and chequered history in
the Territory of New Mexico and
the State of Colorado. They have
been looked upon to a certain extent
as legal and lawful prey by the
Christians surrounding, who have,
to a greater or less degree, taken
advantage of their innocence and of
their ignorance in regard to the
rules of business. To illustrate thio,
one man, a merchant with whom we
deal, a man that I have always look-
ed upon as in every sense trust-
worthy, made this statement to me.
In speiaking of the Mexican people,
said he : " We cannot trade with
them as we do with other people.
They have been deceived and cheat-
ed until they come here and ask how
many pounds of sugar we give for a*
dollar. We would not dare to tell
them the exact nurfiber of pounds.
If it is six, we have to tell them
ten." **Well," I said "do ypu
weigh out the ten pounds f ^* Not
much ; we weigh them six or five
and a half pounds as the case might
be." Such is the character of the
dealings the Mexican people have
had to contend with until to-day
they have no confidence whatever* in
184
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
the white people hy whom they
axe surrounded, and it is something
almost unknown in their history, it
is something strange for them to be
placed in a position whereby they
would be dealt with honorably and
uprightly by white people. Said
one of their leading citizens to me,
Mr: Valdez, who was fonnerly a
Judge in Old Mexico, a leading citi-
zen in the State of Colorado, a
Representative in the Legislature,
and a man of considerable ability —
said he to me, " The white people
we have come in contact with here-
tofore, have endeavored to take
every advantage of us, and when
your people came here we expected
they would treat us the same way.
Last season we could have furnished
you land to plow, teams and seed ;
but we were afraid that you would
repeat the history of some other por-
, tions of our possessions, where we
have furnished seed, land, teams and
plows, and rented these things upon
shares to people who came into our
midst, and when the fall season came
they not only claimed the land and
crops, but our teams and plows, and
we have failed to obtain any redress
whatever ; consequently we were
afraid of your people." But after
soine short acquaintance with us,
after coming in contact with us a
limited length of time, they learned
to think better of us, and by their
votes elected one of our brethren
magistrate over a considerable por-
tion of the county of Conejas, in
which they lived. This brother
told me he had been magistrate for
eight months, had gained the confi-
dence of the people, until to-day peo-
ple outside of the precinct where he
Jives will bring their cases to him to
arbitrate and adjudicate upon, and
the people almost universally are
willing to submit to his decisions.
There is a kindly feeling between
them and the Latter-day Saints*
They are naturally a kind hearted
people. I noticed when our people
were living in their piazzas, as some
of them did for a season, that when
any of them took sick, the Mexicans
were on hand to nurse them and to
do what they could for their com-
fort. The Saints rejoice at the
privilege of gathering where they
can live in peaee and quietness, and
receive the instructions of the elders,
and have their children taught. I
believe about the first thing they
did in the first town they started
was to build a comfortable school-
house, and during the past winter
they have had a school in session
the entire winter, expecting that as
soon as circumstances would permit
a summer school would be com-
menced. A Sabbath School is in
session regularly each Sabbath, and
some six home missionaries visit the
surrounding country where the
Latter-day Saints are located, and
instruct the Mexicans who desire to
hear the principles of the Gospel.
In laboring in the States, we can
see that there is a rapid change
taking place. It may not he
observable by the masses of the peo-
ple. However, this change can be
seen on the right hand and on the
left. We hear men remark in regard
to the change that is occurring poli-
tically, religiously and socially. We
cannot blind our eyes to the fact
that affairs in the United States are
traveling at a rapid rate. We some-
times hear an elder, on returning
home from his mission, ask one of
the brethren, " How is everything
moving?' H is reply is, " very slowly.
He does not see with the eyes of
the elder who is abroad preaching
the Gospel. To my mind, the seeds
of dissolution have been sown in the
midst of the people, and they are
springing up to an abundant growth.
SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.
185
Men are fulfilling the Scriptures —
''th«ir hearts are fiuliDg thorn for
feur of the things that are coming
upon them." The people ' of the
United States are in doubt in regard
to what is in store for our govem-
msnt. We hear quite loud expres-
sions every hour of the day by men
of all classes — ^governors, senators,
congressmen and clergymen. I think
one of the most eloquent sermons
— eloquent for the sound of its words,
not particularly for the principle
it contained, but more particularly
for its sound of words — I ever
heard, was one in which the mini-
ster portrayed the condition of the
United States, the fearful condition
in which the government was to-
day, the condition in which political
affairs were, and strange as it may
seem, after telling the people that
there was not a political party in
the United States that would receive
Jesus of Nazareth. After telling
the people of St. Louis (the city in
which this sermon was preached)
that if Jesus were to come to one of
their wards and run for Alderman,
they would outvote him by a large
majority — ^^after telling them all.
these things, he then commenced
upon the other hand to portray the
glorious spread of Christianity ! It
sounded strange to my ears, for one
was a direct contradiction of the
other ; if one was true the other was
false. Certainly Christianity could
not grow and increase and spread
and be engrafted into the minds of
the people, and at the same time he
who stood at the head of Christian-
ity be rejected from the head to the
foot of the whole body.
The situation to my mind as I
have observed it — ^and I have tried
to do so calmly and delibei-ately and
without prejudice — ^is anything but
agreeable. Men have ceased to try
to hide this ; and the present poli-
tical contest that is waged so hotly
even for the nomination of the man '
who shall fill the presidential chair is
stirring up the people as I have
never seen an election stir them up
before. It seems as though they are
not content with dividing into
parties but these parties are divided
into fragments, the one contending
against the other. A few years ago
it was the Democratic party on the
one side and the Republican party
on the other. To-day it has changed
and materially altered in the Repub-
lican party. It is the anti-third
term men, the Blaine men, Sherman
men etc., struggling one against the
other in their own party until it
seems as if the shadow is cast, of the
time when every man*s hand shall
be raised against his neighbor. Cer-
tainly these are indications of it, —
and we see the fulfilment of prophecy
in these things. It is a most
unpleasant report for a person to
make of the situation of their coun-
try. We are not aliens to our land.
We love and revere and respect the
constitution of our common country.
We have a love for the old flag that
floats over it, and it is with feelings
of mortification, chagrin, and pain
that we have to report back to the
Saints here in the valleys of the
mountains the fearful condition in
which matters are to-day. One in-
stance comes to my mind in connec-
tion with a matter in which the
Latter-day Saints are interested.
During the trial of the men — or one
of them at least — who assassinated
Elder Joseph Standing, I was
astonished and surprised to listen to
the testimony of the witnesses. The
court would commence its session at
eight o'clock and run till twelve and
then adjourn for an hour and run
till candle light, and when night
came we would hear the bells ring-
ing across the street calling the peo-
186
JOURNAL OF DISOOURSBS.
pie to a revival meeting. I noticed
that those men who had heen upon
the witness stand would pass over
to the meeting, and for two weeks
the revival was kept up calling men
and women to Jesus after dark, and
in the day time came into that court
and testified to things they knew
were utterly false, and that they
knew the people in the court room
were satisfied were false. The thing
was a talk and a laughing stock on
the streets of Dalton. It seemed
strange to me, and ^fter I had • had
several days experience I asked the
attorney General, a man. that T look-
ed upon as an honorable man, a man
who sought to do his duty in that
trial to the best of his ability — I
asked " how many men are there
that came upon this stand that you
can rely upon to testify to the
truth?" His reply was, "If I get
one in ten I am doing very well."
I thought that a strange comment
indeed upon this boasted land of
freedom, of free schools, churches,
libraries, lecture associations and
yet hold ourselves up before the
worid as a representative govern-
ment for all other governments to
copy after, for all civilization, to
follow, and for all Christians to
model themselves from. It looks
strange to me, and I scarcely could
have believed it had not mine own
ears heard and mine own eyes be-
held it.
The sentiment and feeling of the
better class of people in the Souths
and I may say the people of the
United States are in favor of lettii^
the Latter-day Saints alone, of let-
ting them work out their own pro-
blem, and but for the religious influ-
ence that is brought to bear there
would be but little said in relation
to the work the Latter-day Saints
are doing. But this religious influ-
ence has not changed in the least.
The same influence that fought and
contended against the Latter day
Saints in the State of Missouri, and
that drove them to the valleys of
the mountains ; the same influence
that cried out nearly 2000 years ago
" crucify him, crucfiy him," is still
abroad in the land, and I think the
worst treatment I have ever received
at the hands of any class of men has
been from men who can pray the
longest prayers, preach the loudest
sermons, and wear the longest face,
and who profess to be going back to
Abraham's bosom. This class of
men have always contended against
the elders. They have sought to
bring persecution upon them, and to
villify them upon every hand, and
if we have difficulties they are to a
greater or less extent caused by
those who profess to believe in this
Bible, and who preach "glory to
God in the highest, and on earth
peace and goodwill towards men.'*
But this perchance, is but history
repeating itself. Notwithstanding
the difi^LCulties and obstacles the
elders have had to contend with in
this and other directions they have
been blessed and prospered. They
rejoice in the privilege of going forth
to proclaLm the principles of the
Gospel, to bring Israel to a know-
ledge of the truth, and to gather the
honest in heart home, that Ziou
may be built up and the kingdom of
Ggd- established on the earth. The
elders rejoice in this privilege, Our
young elders who go abroad with
fear and trembling in regard to
their own ability are willing to pass
through all kinds uf difficulties, are
willing to endure anything and
everything that they may be instru-
ments in the hands of God in pro^
claiming the principles of the Gospel.
I heard but very few complaints
from the elders. It is true that
sometimes they are not situated as
SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.
187
pleasantly as they would desire to
be, but I heard very few com-
plaints. They express very great
surprise at the situation of affairs
abroad. They say, "why, we did
not dream that matters were as bad
as they are. We did not dream
that the world was so corrupt as it
is both politically, i:eligiously, and
socially." They seemed surprised,
when walking through the streets
of the religious St. Louis. — whose
editors, you know, write long homi-
lies in the shape of editorials in re-
gard to the terrible situation of
affairs in Utah, — to see, on a Sun-
day, just close by where these
articles are published, saloons open,
men and women drinking, and busi-
ness going on just as though it were
any other day in the week, " Why,"
say these young elders, " in reading
these articles back in Utah we were
led to believe that these places here
were really religious. But we find
that such is not the case. We find
they are allowing their charity to
play leap-frog over their own wrong-
doings, and in place of looking to
the affairs of Utah they had better
attend to their own." These things
look strange to the young elders
when they first come iu contact with
the world. In speaking with one of
of the officers of the State of Colo-
rado, said he to me, " we trust that
you people will assimilate with our
people, that they will adopt our
habits and customs and become one
with us." I told him we did not
wish to liiake any rash promises
about that, for, said I, " we would
not wish to have drinking saloons
on the corner of each block." We
would not like to have all kind of
wrong-doings in our midst, and cer-
tainly here in this city of Denver,
we would not wish to copy after the
morals of this or your adjoining
city of Leadville.
Some people seem to have an idea
that the Latter-day Saints gathered
here in the valleys of the mountains
are samples of all that is wrong, all
that is iniquitous, and I have some-
times been amazed at the situation
we have been placed in. In one
neighbourhood where we stopped
over night, and had some talk with
the folks in regard to the social con-
ditions with which they were sur-
rounded, one sanctimonious person,
the next day, refused us the privi-
lege of meeting in a log cabin school-
house, for fear we should corrupt the
morals of the people ! In another
instance, a large number of people
had gathered together in a meeting
house to hear one of the elders
preach. When he got through
preaching he asked a gentleman who
had been induced to come to the
stand to tell the people what he
thought of the doctrine that had
been advanced. He very reluctantly
did so in about these words : " I
have listened with great attention to
my young friend. I believe he is
honest. I believe he has tried to
tell the truth, and in fact he has
told you the truth. He has
read from the Scriptures ;" but at
this stage he drew up (evidently
realizing that he had gone too far
to please his friends) and concluded
by saying : •* but my dear, dying
friends, I do not believe one word of
it." Notwithstanding that he had
just told the people that the young
man had told them the truth, and
that he had preached according to
the Bible. It sounded strange, even
to his own people. Yet there is a •
class of people who, when we come
down to the real facts of the case,
will not, do not believe in the Bible,
however much they pretend to do
so. They believe certain parts of it,
and disbelieve other parts. This
spirit of unbelief is growing in the
1^8;
JOUilNAL Oy DISCOURSES.
minds of the people, until in the
l/nited States to-day there are thou-
sands of people who openly^ repudi-
ate their belief in the Bible, Inger-
soll, and various men of that stamp
who are lecturing throughout the
United States, take for texts the
mistakes found in the books of Moses,
and otherwise ridicule the word of
Scripture. By this means they are
undermining the faith and belief of
the people in the Bible, and are
creating infidels by thousands.
We meet them on the railroads, we
hear them from the lecture stand,
we find them among all classes of
people, lawyers, doctors, etc., and as
I told one of them, a leading citizen
of St. Louis^ with whom I traveled
a couple of days, I can understood
opposition to preaching and praying
from, those who do' not believe in' ■
this book, but it savors of hypocrisy
coming from those who profess to
believe in the teachings of Jesus and
his apostles.
Well, these are some of the reflec-
tions that pass through our minds as
elders in preaching the Gospel. We
pray that the blessing of Israel's God
may rest upon his work, and upon
the elders who are abroad preaching
the Gospel, that they also may be
permitted to return in peace, in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC.
189
DISCOUESE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, at the Semi-Annual
Conference, of the Salt Lale Stake op Zion, Saturday
Afternoon, July 3rd, 1880.
(Reported hy John Irvine.)
duties and responsibilities of the priesthood and saints gene-
rally— zion shall not be overcome — ^the wicked shall slay
THE wicked — THE END NEAR.
I have listened to the instructions
given here this afternoon by my
brethren, as well as the remarks of
Brother Cannon, this forenoon, with
feelings of a great deal of interest.
When we talk of onr duties as Latter-
day Saints, I think many times some
of us, perhaps all of us, more or less,
fall short of comprehending and
understanding the responsibilities
which we are under to God. I be-
lieve there never was a dispensation
or. a generation of men in any age of
the world that ever had a greater
work to perform, or ever were under
greater responsibility to God, than
the Latter-day Saints. The kingr
dom of God has been put into our
hands. We have.been raised up as
sons and daughters' of the Lord to
take this kingdom, to lay the foun-
dation of it, to l^uild upon it, to
carry it out in it>8 various branches
untU it becomes perfected before the
heavens and before the earth as God
has foreordained it should be. And
those principles which have been
referred to'bj the brethren in regard
to our duties we cannot safely ignore
them nor turn aside from them. I
will say as one of the quorum of the
Twelve Apostles, from the time I
was first acquainted with this organi-
zation until to-day we have never
felt ourselves at liberty to stay away
from our meetings unless we were
sick or circumstances hindered us in
some way or other. I can say that
for myself, and I believe I can say
the same for my brethren. We have
always felt duty bound to attend our
meetings, and if we do hot attend
the question might arise, what has
become of the Twelve Apostles?
Where are they that they do not
attend their meetings ? It would be
a very proper question to ask. And
if this responsibility rests upon us
in the capacity which we occupy
does it not rest upon other men?
I think it does. I do not believe
the Lord everrequired Joseph Smith
or Brigham Young or any of their
counselors to undertake to build up
this kingdom alone. He never re-
quired them to build these Temples
alone. They trere required to per-
form their duties, that is true
190
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
Joseph Smith was called of God in-
spired of God, raised up of the Lord,
ordained of God long before he was
bom, to stand in the flesh, as much
as Jeremiah or any of the ancient
prophets, to lay the foundation of
this Church and kingdom. He per-
formed his work faithfully. He
labored faithfully while he taber-
nacled in the flesh, and sealed his
testimony with his blood. Other
men were called also to build upon
the foundation which he laid.
We have in days that are past
and gone been under the necessity
of going forth to preach the Gospel
in the world. We have had this to
do. We have been called to do it.
We have been ordained to do it.
We have been commanded of God
to do it, and so have hundreds of
thousands of the elders of this
Church and kingdom. We have all
some responsibility, more or less,
resting upon us, whether as regards
going on missions or anything else.
I remember Brother Joseph Smith
visited myself, Brother Taylor, Bro-
ther Brigham Young and several
other missionaries, when we were
about to take our mission to England.
We were sick and afflicted many of
us. At the same time we felt to go.
The Prophet blessed us as also our
wives and families ; and I was read-
ing a day or two ago his instructions
from my journal. He taught us
some very important principles, some
of which I here name. Brother
Taylor, myself, George A. Smith,
John E. Page and others had been
called to fill the place of those who
had fallen away. Brother Joseph
laid before us the cause of those men's
turning away from the command-
ments of God. He hoped we would
learn wisdom by what we saw with
the eye and heard with the ear, and
that we would be able to discern
the spirits of other men without
being compelled to learn by sad
experience. He then remarked that
any man, any elder in this Church
and kingdom — ^who pursued a course
whereby he would ignore or in other
words refuse to obey any known
law or commandment or duty —
whenever a man did this, neglected
any duty God required at his hand
in attendingmeetings, filling missions,
or obeying counsel, he laid a founda-
tion to lead him to apostasy and this
was the reason those men had
fallen. They had misused th e priest-
hood sealed upon their heads. They
had neglected to magnify their call-
ings as apostles as elders. They
had used that priesthood to attempt
to build themselves up and to perform
some other work besides the build-
ing iip of the kingdom of God. And
not only did he give us the counsel,
but the same is given in the revela-
tion of God to us. I have ever read
with a great deal of interest that
revelation given to Joseph Smith in
answer to his prayer in Liberty jail.
I have ever looked upon that revela-
tion of God to that man, considering
the few sentences it includes, as con-
taining as much principle sis any rev-
elation God ever gave to man. He
gave Joseph to understand that he
held the priesthood, which priest-
hood was after the order of God,
after the order of Melchisedec,'the
same priesthood by which God him-
self performed all his works in the
heavens and in the earth, and any
man who bore that priesthood had
the same power. That priesthood
had communication with the heavens,
power to move the heavens, power
to perform the work of the heavens,
and wherever any man magnified
that calling, God gave his angels
charge concerning him and his
ministrations were of power and
force both in this world and the
world to come ; but let that man use
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC.
191
that priesthood for any other pur-
pose than the building up of the
kingdom of God, for which purpose
it was given, and the heavens with-
draw themselves, the power of the
priesthood departs, and he is left to
walk in darkness and not in light,
and this is the key to apostasy of all
men whether in this generation or
any other.
Our responsibilities before the
Lord are great. We have no right
to break any law that God has given
unto us. The more we do so the
less power we have before God,
before heaven and before the earth,
and the nearer we live to God, the
closer we obey his laws aud keep
his commandments, the more power
we will have, and the greater will be
our desire for the building up of the
kingdom of God while we dwell
here in tlie flesh.
We have no right to break the
Sabbath. We have no right to
neglect our meetings to attend to our
labors. I do not believe that any
man, who has ever belonged to this
Church and kingdom, since its organi-
zation, has made anything by attend-
ing to his farm on the Sabbath : but
if your ox falls into a pit get him
out ; to work in that way is all just
aud right, but for us to go fanning
to the neglect of our meetings and
other duties devolving upon us, is
something we have no right to do.
The Spirit of God does no like it, it
withdraws itself from us, and we
make no money by it. We should
keep the Sabbath holy. We should
attend our meetings.
This kingdom is advancing. It
has got to advance, and somebody
has got to build it up. Somebody
has got to labor in it. The God of
heaven has had a people prepared
before the world was made for this
dispensation. He had a people pre-
pared to stand in the flesh to iaike
this kingdom and bear it ofif ; and the
very spirit of the prophets and apos-
tles, who have gone before us, has
been manifested in the lives of faith-
ful men and women from the organ-
ization of this Church until today,
and will continue until the coming
of the Lord, as there are a great
many men and women who will live
their religion and carry out the pur-
poses of God on the earth.
It is our duty as apostles, as elders
and as Latter-day Saints, to contem-
plate, to reflect, to read the word of
Grod, and to try to comprehend our
condition, our position, and our re-
sponsibility before the Lord. If our
eyes were opened, if the vail were
lifted, and we could see our condi-
tion, our responsibility, and could
comprehend the feelings of God our
heavenly Father, and the heavenly
hosts, and the justified spirits made
perfect, in their watch-care over us,
in their anxiety about us in our
labors here in the flesh ; we would
all feel that we have no time to
waste in folly or anything else which
brings to pass no good. All of us,
as elders of Israel and as Latter-day
Saints, bear some portion of the holy
priesthood, either the Melchisedek
or Aaronic. It is a kingdom of
priests, and there is work enough for
this people to magnify their calling.
The Lord has agreed to sustain us,
and to break every weapon that is
formed against us. He has promised
to sustain Zion, and when the Pro-
phet saw this Zion of God in the
mountains, his soul was filled with
joy and he cried, " Sing, heavens,
and be joyful, earth ; and break
forth into singing, mountains; for
the Lord hath comforted his people,
and will have mercy upon his afflict-
ed." Again the prophet says, " Can
a woman forget her suckling child,
that she should not have compassion
I on the son of her womb 1— yea, they
192
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
may fo^et, yet will I not forget
thee.'' Zion has been before the face
of the Lord since the creation of the
world ! Our heavenly Father has
protected this people. We have been
favored from the day we set our feet
in the valleys of the mountains, not-
withstanding the tribulation and op-
position we have had to contend
with. All the designs of the wicked
and ungodly to stop this work have
been thwarted. The hand of God is
over Zion. He is our Comforter.
He sustains us, and we have every
encouragement on the face of the
earth, as Latter-day Saints, to be
true and faithful unto him the little
time we spend in the flesh.
Our responsibilities are great ; our
work is great. We not only have
the Gospel to preach to the nations
of the earth, but we have to fiU these
valleys, towns, cities, etc., and we
have, among other important things,
to rear temples unto the name of the
Lord before the coming of Christ.
We have got to enter into .those
temples and redeem our dead — ^not
only the dead of our own family, but
the dead of the whole spirit world.
This is part of the great work of the
Latter-day Saints. We shall build
these temples and, if we do our duty,
there is no power that can hinder
this work, because the Lord is with
us ; and certainly our aim. is high !
As a people we aim at celestial glory ;
we aim at the establishment of the
kingdom of God. We have been
raised up for the purpose of warning
the world ; to preach the Gospel ; to
go to the meek of the earth and
bring them to these valleys of the
mountains, that they may be deliv-
ered from the power of sin and
Satan. Our numbers are many
compared with former dispensations.
Nevertheless, our numbers are few
when compared with the twelve or
fourteen hundred millions of inhab-
itants who dwell in the flesh. Still,
with the help of God, we have power
to redeem the world. This is our
work. We are obliged to labor and
to continue to while we are here,
and when we have finished our work,
our sons, the rising generation, have
got to take this kingdom and bear it
off!
Eight of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles are in the spirit world to-
day who were in the flesh when we
came here, and so they pass away,
one after another, when they finish
their work. Do you suppose that in
their minds and feelings they rea-
lized they had done too much 1 I
think not. Ju»t so with those who
remain in the flesh. There is no
time to throw away, and I would to
God that the elders of Israel could
fully realize and comprehend the
great work that God has put upon
their shoulders — the building up of
his kingdom.
This kingdom has continued to
increase and spread. When we
came here thirty-three years ago we
found this place a barren desert.
There was no mark of the white man
here. It was a desert indeed, hardly
a green thing to meet the eye. You
c^n see to-day for yourselves. The
inhabitants of Zion are a marvel and
a wonder to the world. They
occupy these valleys of the moun-
tains from Idaho to Arizona. The
valleys, as it were, are filled with
Latter-day Saints. And who are
these Latter-day Saints 1 They are
the people whom the God of heaven
has raised up in fulfilment of pro-
mise and revelation. He has care-
fully gathered them together by the
power of the Gospel, by the power
of revelation, and placed them here
in the valleys of the mountains.
Has there ever been any power*
formed against this people
that has been successful? Nay^
DUTIBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC.
19a
and this people will never see
the day when our enemies shall pre-
vail, for tlie very reason that God
had decreed that Zion shall be built
up; the kingdom that Daniel saw
shall roll forth, until the little stone
cut out of the mountain without
hands shall fill the whole eartli.
The people of God shall be prepared
in the Latter-days to carry out the
great programme of the Almighty,
and all the powers of the earth and
bell combined cannot prevent them.
When I see the view that the world
take in regard to this great latter-day
work ; when I hear it questioned as
to whether God has anything to do
with it ; when I see the feeling of
hatred that is manifested towards
us, to me it is the strongest evidence
that this is the work of God. Why]
Because we have been chosen out of
the world and therefore the world
hate us. This is a testimony that
Jew and Gentile and the whole
world look at Then if this is the
work of God what is the world going
to do about it? What can this
nation or the combined nations of
the earth do about it 1 Can any
power beneath the heavens stay the
progress of the work of God 1 I tell
you nay, it cannot be done. I do
not boast Qf these things as the work
of man ; it is the work of the Al-
mighty ; it is not the work of man.
The Lord has called men to labor in
his kingdom, and I wish the elders
would look upon this subject as it is
and realize our position before the
Lord. Here we are a handful of
people chos«n out of some twelve or
fourteen hundred millions of people;
and my faith in regard to this mat-
ter is that before we were bom^
before Joseph Smith was bom,
before Biigham was bom — my faith
is that we were chosen to come forth
in this day and generation and do
the work which God ha* designed
Ko. IS.
should be done. That is my vi^w
in regard to the Latter-day Saints,
and that is the reason why the apos-
tles and elders in the early days of
this Church had power to go forth
without purse or scrip and preach
the Gospel of Christ and bear record
of his kingdom. Had it not been,
for that power we could not have
performed the work. We have had
to be sustained by the hand of God
until to-day, and we shall be sustain-
ed until we ^et through, if we keep
the commandments of God, and, if
we do not, we shall fall, and the
Lord will raise up other men to take
our place. Therefore, 1 look upon
it that we had a work assigned to u»
before we were born. With regard
to the faithful leaders of this Church
and kingdom, beginning with Joseph
Smith, how many times have I heard
men say in my travels — Why did
God choose Joseph Smith, why did
he choose that boy to open up this
dispensation and lay the foundation
of this Church] Why did'nt he
choose some great man, such as
Henry Ward Beecher 1 I have had
but one answer in my life to give to
such a question, namely, that the
Lord Almighty could not do any-
thing with them, he could not
humble them. They were not the
class of men that were chosen for a
work of this kind in any age of the
world. The Lord Almighty chose
the weak things of this world. He
could handle them. He therefore
chose Joseph Smith because he was
weak, and he had sense enough to
know it. He had the ministration
of angels out of heaven. He had
also the ministration of the Father
and the Son and of the holy men
who once dwelt in the flesh.
We have been obliged to acknow-
ledge the hand of GkmL From out
of the pit have we been dug. We
have been taken from the plough,
VeL XXf
194
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
the bench, the various occupations
of life, having limited knowledge of
what the world calls learning. The
Lord has called this class of men as
elders, and inspired by the power of
God they have gone forth and warn-
ed the world, and those of this
generation who reject the testimony
of these elders will be under con-
demnation, for the elders will rise
up in judgment and condemn them.
The building up of this kingdom
rests upon our shoulders — not upon
the shoulders of Brother Taylor and
the Twelve Apostles alone, but every
man and every woman who has
heard this Gospel and gone into the
waters of baptism will be held
responsible for the light and know-
ledge they received.
This is my testimony to you to-
day. You have got the kingdom of
God here. It has grown and in-
creased, and will continue to grow
and increase. I look at this build-
ing ; I look at the tabernacle here ;
I look at the temples that are being
bnilt ; I see what is going on in the
tiaountains of Israel, and I ask what
is it? It is the work of God. I
acknowledge his hand in it. This is
the reason why we are inspired to
Build these temples. Why we labor
tb build them is because the day has
(feiii« when they are needed. Joseph
^ith went into the spirit world to
unlock the prison doc«*s in this dis-
^nsation or generation. He stayed
l^e long enough td lay the founda-
iAoti of this kingdom and obtain the
Issyd belonging to it. The last time
hfe efer met with th^ quorum of the
IVelve was when he gavte them
tf»eir endowments, atod wh6tt they
1^ him he had a preseiifimeViet th)a,!;
it was the last time they would ever
nJteet. He ha;d something to do the
<Wher side of the vail. He had a
thousand to prfe«ach to there; where
joxt and I Imve one in the fleiih.
And this is the great work of the
last dispensation — the redemption of
the living and the dead.
We ought not, as elders of Israel,
to treat lightly the blessings we
enjoy. We ought not to treat
lightly the holy priesthood, or
attempt to use it for any other pur-
pose under the whole heavens other
than to build up the Zion of God.
The counsel that has been given this
forenoon upon this matter we should
lay to heart. The eyes of all the
heavenly hosts are over this people.
They are watching us with the deep-
est anxiety. They understand things
better than we do, for our vail is
our bodies,- and when our spirits
leave them we will not have a great
way to get into the spirit world.
They know the warfare we have
with wicked spirits and with a
wicked world, but what encourage-
ment we have when we read the
revelations ! We live in a genera-
tion when the Lord has decreed that
his kingdom shall be preserved.
The prophets of every other dispensa-
tion have been called to seal their
testimony with their blood. My
faith is that those of this dispensa-
tion will not be called to do this.
Joseph a4id Hyrum, it is true, were
called to lay down their lives.
Why? I brfieve myself it was
necessary to seal a dispensiation of
this almighty magnitude with the
blood of the testator for one thing,
and for another thing the jieOple
were worthy that pufc him to death,
and will have the bill to pay as the
Jefws had to* pay fbr the Mood of the
Messiah ; bat aid fkr as the leaderi^of
this pefiiple and the people getfetally
arfe conefefftfed, I think th* liord te-
tenfds we shoi^ live at peace-. With
regard to Brigham Yoting, vre all
know the disposition t^ere wias ba
tb6 part dThid enemies to- take hup
lif^. 1' ii6^t bfeli^ed, kowevw,
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, ETC.
195
that he would die a violent death.
Neither do I believe that we shall
be required to go forth and stain
our swords in the blood of our fellow
men in our defence. It has been
decreed that the wicked shall slay
the wiclred. Now, I give you my
views regarding these things. I
speak the sentiments of my own
heart and what I believe. The
judgments of our God will be poured
forth, but the elders of Israel will
not be called upon to slay the
wicked. The wicked will slay the
wicked. When I read the Bible, the
Book of Mormon and the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, I feel that
it is with us as with the generation
that lived in the days of Ezekirf.
In those days the Lord told the pro-
phet to tell the people that what he
said he meant to fulfil. And so it
is in the day and age in which we
live. All things will be fulfilled.
The judgments of Almighty God
will be poured out upon the wicked.
The harvest is ripe, and I know the
farmer has got to cut his crops when
they are ripe, otherwise they will go
back into the ground and rot.
When I see the wickedness and
abomination that prevail in Babylon,
covering the earth, as it were, like a
mighty sea — ^when I see these things
I feel to ask myself the question,
how long can these things rise up in
the sight of heaven and not have
their reward 1 In my own mind I
can see a change at our door. In
the face of the revelations I cannot
see how it can be otherwise. The
signs of heaven and earth all indi-
cate the near coming of the Son of
Man. You read the 9th, 10th and
11th chapters of the last Book of
Nephi, and see what the Lord has
said will take place in this genera-
tion, when the Gospel of Christ has
again been offered to the inhabitants
of the earth. The Lord did not
reveal the day of the coming of the
Son of Man, but he revealed tho
generation. That generation is*
upon us. The signs of heaven and
earth predict the fulfilhnent of these
things, and they will come to pass.
Therefore, let us try to live our
religion. We have the kmgdom of
God: There is no question about
this. There was none with Joseph
Smith when the angels of God
ministered unto him, and we had a
living testimony of this work from
that day to thosv What is the great-
est testimony any man or woman
can have a& to this being the work
of G6d ] I wiil tell you what is the
greatest testimony I have ever had,
the most sure testimony, that is the
testimony of the Holy Ghost, the
testimony of the Father and the
Son. We may have the ministration
of angels ; we may be wrapt in the
visions of heaven — ^these things, as
testimonies are very good, but when
you receive the Holy Ghost, when
you receive the testimony of thft
Father and the Son, it is a true
principle to every man on earth, it-
deceives no man, and by that princi-
ple you can learn and understand
the mind of God. Eevelation has
been looked upon by this Church, a»
well as by the world, as something
very marvelous. What is revela-
tion ] The testim<my of the Father
and Son. How many of you have
had revelation ? How many of yow
have had the Spirit of God whisper
unto you — the still small voice. I
would have been in the spirit world
a great many years ago, if I had not
followed the promptings of the still
small voice. These were the revela-
tions of Jestrs Christ, the strongest
testimony a man or a woman can
have. I have had many testimonies
since I have been connected with
this Church and kingdom. I have
been blessed at times with certain
196
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
gifts and graces, certain revelations
and ministrations ; but with, them
all I have never found anything that
I could place more dependence upon
than the still small voice of the Holy
Ghost.
I know this is the work of God. I
know God is with this peopla I am
anxious for them. I am anxious for
the rising generation, for the young
men and young women, for I know
this kingdom has got to rest upon
their shoulders. When I see the
evils that exist in Salt Lake City, I
realize they are in danger. Our
responsibilities as parents are great.
We have not only to set an example
ourselves, but we must pray for
them, and counsel them, and I am
satisfied that the Lord will prepave
our young men and young maidens,
the sons and daughters of this peo-
ple, so that they will take this king-
dom and bear it off. The kingdom
will never be thrown down or given
to another people.
I thank God I live in Ihis day and
age of the world. I thank God that
I heard the Gospel. • I thank the
Lord I have been made partaker of
the holy priesthood in connection
with the Gospel, and all the fears I
have had have been about myself
and friends. I never had any fears
about the kingdom of God. I do not
have any to-day. I realize and
understand, as well as I know any-
thing, that this kingdom is ordained
to stand. It will grow and increase.
Zion will arise and put on her beau-
tiful garments. The only fears that
I have are with regard to myself, my
family, my wives and my children.
We are surrounded with temptations,
which have a tendency to lead us.
away. We have got to guard against
them ; we have got to increase our
faith and live nearer and nearer to
the Lord.
I pray God to bless you and bless
this people, and bless those who are
called to watch over us. We havef
to watch as well as pray. We have
to guard the Church and kingdom of
God. By and by our mission will
close. We will soon pass away and
shall reap our reward. We are living,
in the last dispensation. Joseph
Smith, I expect, will sound ihe sixth,
trumpet. He will be at the head of
this dispensation ; or, if he does not
blow the trumpet of this dispensa>
tion, I do not know who will^
Somebody has got to do it, and it
must be somebody holding the keys
of the various dispensations of the
world. No other angels are coming
from any other world to administer
in this dispensation ; those men
will minister who dwelt here in tho
flesh.
May God bless us and help> us to
keep his commandments^ foir JesusT
sake. Amen.
PRE-EXISTfiNCE, ETC.
197
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered at Mount Pleasant, November 12th, 1879.
(Reported hy Geo. F, Gibbs.)
PRE-EXISTENCE, in spiritual form, of man, the lower ANIMAIfi
AND the earth — ^THE TEMPORAL PROBATIONARY STATE — THE MIL-
LENNIUM —THE FINAL CHANGE.
Through the kind providence of
our heavenly Father we are permit-
ted, on this pleasant day, t« assemble
here in this comfortable house, for
the purpose of worshiping God, and
hearing instruction as the Lord may
see proper, in his kindness and
wisdom, to pour out his spirit, and
make manifest the truth to us. It
is a pleasing thing for the human
mind, to contemplate that it has
some object to worship ; that there
is a being, far exalted above us, who
dwells in the heavens, who is worthy
^f all adoration and praise ; and that
we are his children, in possession of
a portion of his attributes.
Tlie world which we inhabit is a
fallen creation, a fallen world, shut
out from the presence of our Father,
the being whom we worship, so that
we cannot behold his face, nor the
glory of his presence. It is for a
wise purpose, that we are placed
here, in this fallen condition. It
«eems to be so, as far as we have
been made acquainted with the pur-
poses of the great Jehovah. It
seems to be the ordeal, through
which all intelligent beings must
pass, in order to gain that fullness of
exaltation, in the presence of God,
which is promised in his word.
We were not always in the condi-
tion we are now in. We are only
placed here for a few years, and are
adapted to our present condition. A
long tiine before you and I came
here upon this stage of action, we
had an intelligent existence; we
dwelt in a better world than this,
and a world that had been redeemed,
a world that had been sanctified and
glorified ; in other words, a world
that had been made celestial, just as
we are in hopes that our present
world will, at some future period, be
exalted to the celestial glory, and
become the habitation of celestial
beings. That world we occupied,
before we came here, was celestial ;
our Father had his dwelling place
there, or, at least, one of his dwell-
ing places ; and we were surrounded
by our Father s glory, we were fami-
liar with his countenance, familiar
with the beautiful mansions that
were there, — familiar with all the
glory that existed there, so far as
we were capable of comprehending.
There was no vail drawn between
us and our Father, no vail drawn
between us and the associates of our
Father, who were also celestial
beings, many of them having been
redeemed from a world more ancient
198
J0UKN4L OF DISCOURSES.
than ours. We had a long experi-
ence, I suppose, in that worid ; at
least, we know from that which our
Father has revealed to us, that we
were born there ; that this intelli-
gent being that has power to dis-
cern, power to reflect, power to
reason, — that this intelligent being
was born in that previous estate.
These were some of the first
revelations given in tliis last dispen-
sation. The Lord did not wait
eeveral years, before he revealed unto
.us, in some measure, concerning our
condition before we came here.
Hence, it was away back in the year
1830, that this doctrine of the pre-
existence of man was revealed, in
greater fullness, than it was given in
the Book of Mormon. There are
two or three places in the Book of
Mormon that reveal the pre-exist-
. ence of man ; but not in such great
plainness, as was given soon after
the publication of that Book, through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, before
the Saints began to gather, informing
us that we Were in reality the child-
ren ofour Father and God ; that we had
a pre-existence in which we had
learned many very in^portant princi-
ples, connected with spiritual exist-
ence, before taking bodies of flesh
and bones, which was also necessary
to afford us a still greater experience.
Now, in this plan that God has
dlevised for the advancement of these
intelligent beings — by passing them
through various stages of existence,
under different circumstances, and in
different conditions, — he gives them
experience that they never could
have gained, had they remained in
the presence of the rather, in that
world which was celestial ; in other
words, we were his off*spring in that
world, our spiritual bodies not
having flesh and «bones, but being in
the image. of the Father and Son, —
his own sons and daughters. He
had a great desire that we should be
educated and taught. He could
teach us a great many things in that
world as we teach our children ; ha
could impart to us a great many
things — ^for there were as many
truths in existence in that day a&
are in existence now ; but truths
were taught to us, as we were
capable of understanding them.
The Lord felt anxious that we might
come up and eventually be made
like him, as it is written in the New
Testament, "who shall change our
vile body that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body." I have
no doubt before we came into this
world, we had a great anxiety, that
we might be brought up in the same
way he was instructed and taught,
and led along, passing through differ-
ent conditions of existence, that we
finally might be counted worthy to
be exalted at his right hand, and
receive the fullness of his celestial
glory the same that he is in posses-
sion of and that we might have all
his attributes, dwelling within us,
as separate individuals and person-
ages, that he might exalt us like
unto himself. Now, there is a great
deal to be comprehended, when we
are told that we are children who
will become like our Father; that we
were like him in our first stage and
condition of existence. We were
there, as it were, children without a
fullness of knowledge ; many experi-
ences had not yet been given to us;
but we were like him in our general
outline — the outline of our persons ;
our general form was like him,
" after his image" etc., It is thus
written in the Book of Mormon, in
that great vision to the brother of
Jared, in which the Lord conde-
scended to take the vail off his eyes.
The brother of Jared had gone up
into the mountain, and had moulten
out of a rock sixteen small stones^
PBE-EXISTKNCE, KTC.
191
which he carried up into the top of
the meant He went there with an
object in view ; the object was to
get the Lord to touch the stones
that they might shine forth in dark-
ness in the eight vessels, (which had
been built to convey him and his
brother across the great waters) one
to be placed at each end of each of
the vessels. It would naturally in-
crease the faith of the brother of
Jared, to believe it possible that he
might see the finger of the Lord.
He was going to pray that God would
touch the stones, the same as we
pray for the Lord to put forth his
finger and touch the particles of oil,
when we dedicate it, for sacred purr
poses. If we pray in faith, we must
suppose that the finger touches the
oil. And Jared prayed in faith,
He did not know but what it might
be his privilege to see his finger.
He did see it ; it appeared to him
like the finger of a man, like unto
flesh and blood. But his faith was
too great for his nervous system ;
for when he saw the finger of the
Lord, he fell to the earth through
fear. And the Lord looked unto him
and asked him why he had fallen.
He answered and said, ^^ I saw the
finger of the Lord and I feared lest
he 6hould smite me ; for I knew not
that the Lord had flesh and blood."
He did not know but what his
imperfections were so great, that the
Lord would smite him ; but he was
commanded to arise. . The Lord
then asked him, ** Sawest thou more
than this?" And he answered,
" nay. Lord, shew thyself unto me."
Here was a prayer that extended a
Httle further. The Lord wanted to
see what amount of faith he had.
and he put another question to him,
*• Believest /thou the words which 1
shall speak f And he answered,
**Yea, Lovd, I know that thou
speakest the truth for thou art a
God of truth and canst not lie."
And when the brother of Jared had
manifested his faith, the Lord con>
descended to show his whole person-
age to him, and said, ^* Seest thou
that ye are created after mine own
image. Behold, this body, which
ye now behold is the body of my
spirit, and man have I cceated after
the body of my spirit."
Here the pre-existeuce of man was
taught in the Book of Mormon.
" All men in the beginning were
created after the image of this body
which he was then shewing. All
the human family that then existed^
and that would exist in future tira^
upon the earth, were created in the
beginning, after the image of that
body ; that is, that body which te
showed was not a body of flesh and
bones, but a pure spiritual body,
organized out of pure spiritual sub-
stance, filled with light and truth.
He informed this great man of God,
that he was prepared, from before
the foundation of the world, to
redeem his people. " Behold," sa>8
he, " I am Jesus Christ, I am the
Father and the Sou. In me shall
all mankind have light, and that
eternally, even they who shall bdieve
on my name."
Here, then, was a great deal of
information given to us, concerning
the formation of the human spirit,
the formation of men, — the formation
of their persons, and their indivi-
dualities, before the foundation qf
this world.
It was after this was given, and
the Book of Mormon was published,
that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints arose. But the
Lord, thinking that we had not
sufficient understanding of this pre-
existence, began to tell us (.in the
month of June 1830, only a few
months after the organization of tlie
Church) more about these things.
soo
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
He told us about the spiritual crea-
tion, something we did not compre-
hend before. We used to read the
first and second chapters of Genesis
which give an account of the works
of the Almighty, but did not dis-
tinguish between the spiritual work
and the temporal work of Christ.
Althouo;h tliere are some things in
King James' translation that give
us a little distinction between the
two creations, yet we did not com-
prehend it. The light shone, in
some measure, in darkness, but so
dark were our minds, through tradi-
tion, that we did not comprehend
the light — or the few feeble glim-
merings of light, contained in these
first and second chapters of tlie
uninspired translation. But our
heavenly Father inspired his servant
Joseph Smith, to translate several
chapters more in the Book ot Gene-
sis, in December 1830, which gave a
more full account, down to the days
of the flood. He told us a great
many important principles, princi-
ples that he did not give, so far as
the historical matter was concerned,
in the Book of Mormon. They were
an addition in some respects, and
therefore, they were iiew to us, who
lived in the early rise of the Church,
and calculated to give us great joy.
In these two creations that took
place in the begin nMig, represented
as the beginning of this creation —
not absolutely the begmning of all
the creations of God ; for his works
are without beginning and without
end, they never cease, nor does his
word cease ; he speaks to us, so far
as this creation is concerned, accord-
ing to our natural ideas and under-
standing. He says, "all things I
have created by the word of my
power, which is the power of my
spirit — I created them firstly spiri-
tual and secondly temporal, which is
the beginning of my work ; and
again firstly temporal, and secondly
spiritual, which is the last of my
work, speaking unto you that yoa
may naturally understand; but unto
myself my works have no end
neither beginning."
We learn, therefore, when speak-
ing of this spiritual creation, that not
only all the children of men, of all
generations, and of all ages, were
created spiritually in heaven, but
that fish and fowls, and beast, and
all animated things, having life,
were first made spiiitual in heaven,
on the fifth and fixth days, before
bodies of flesh were prepared for
them on the earth ; and that there
was no flesh upon the earth until
the morning of the seventh day.
On that morning Grod made the
first fleshly tabernacleand took man's
spirit and put within it, and man
became a living soul — the first flesh
upon the earth — ^the first man also.
Though it Was the seventh day, no
flesh but this one tabernacle was yet
formed. No fish, fowl and beast
was as yet permitted to have a body
of flesh. The second chapter of
Genesis, (new translation) informs
us that the spirits of fowls were
created in heaven, the spirits of fish
and cattle, and all things that dwell
upon the earth, had their pre-exist-
ence. They were created in heaven,
the spiritual part of them ; not their
flesh and bones. We are also told
in this inspired translation, that
these living trees which we behold —
for God has given life unto all things
— had their spiritual existence in
heaven before their temporal exist-
ence ; every herb and every tree,
before it was planted out on the
earth, that is, the spiritual part of
it, the life of it, that which, in other
words, animates, that which gives
power to the vegetable to bring
forth fruit after its likeness — the
spiritual part existed in heaven. It
PRE-EXISTENOE, ETC.
201
ifas a spiritual creation first. We
are also told that the earth was
orgauized in a spiritual form, that
is, that portion that gives life
to the earth. We read about
the earth's dying, and that it
shall be quickened again. What
is it that will, make the earth
die 1 It will be the withdrawing of
the spiritual portion from it, that
which gives it life— that which ani-
mates it, and causes it to bring forth
fruit ; that which quickens the earth
is the Spirit of God. Tliat spiritual
creation existed before the temporal
was formed. This was the beginning
of the first part of his work, pertain-
ing to this creation. On the seventh
day he began the temporal portion.
There was not yet a man to till the
ground, '^ and the gods formed man
from the dust of the ground, and
took his spirit — that is the man's
spirit — and put it into him and
breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and man became a living
soul." This we read in the 2nd
chapter of Genesis, and you will find
it recorded on the 6th and 35th
pages of the new edition of the Pearl
of Great Price.
Abraham also obtained a know-
ledge of the spiritual creation, as well
as the temporal. In giving a history
of the creation, he speaks of the
formation of man out of the ground,
how he took man's spirit that was
created in heaven and put it within
the body of man, and man became a
living soul — ^the first flesh upon the
earth, as recorded in the second of
Genesis. Now, we have been in the
habit of thinking that the various
kinds of animals that have lived, ac-
cording to geologists, were the first
flesh on the earth, and we .go away
back millions of ages to see that
these lower formations of life existed
before man. But the Lord gives us
different information from this, tie
shows us that among all the anima*
ted creatures of flesh, man M^as the
first that was ever placed upon the
earth in this temporal condition,
contradicting the theories of geolo-
gists — that is, so far as placing man
on the earth in this present proba-
tion is concerned. What may have
taken place millions of ages before
the world was organized temporally
for man to inhabit is not revealed ;
but, so far as this present change is
concerned, that took place about six
thousand years ago, man was the
first being that came upon the earth
and inhabited a body of flesh and
bones. Afterwards, on the seventh
day, out of the ground the Lord God
created the beasts of the field. Go
back to the first chapter of Genesis,
and you will find that the beasts,
etc., were formed on the sixth day
or period, and that on the seventh
there was no flesh on the eaith, and
having created man as the first
fiesh upon the earth, God then crea-
ted, out of the ground, the beasts of
the field.
Here is the second part of the
beginfiing of liis work : firstly, spiri-
tual, — the beasts created in heaven ;
then, secondly, temporal, — their
bodies formed out of the ground,
their spirits being put within these
bodies, and the beasts became living
souls. As it was with the birds of
the air, so with the fish of the sea,
and so with all animated creatures
pertaining to this world. This is
the history of the generations of the
heavens and the earth, on the day
that the Lord God created them;
and the Lord has seen proper to re-
veal this great information in the
first of Genesis, and in the Book of
Abraham.
Now, let us consider the condition
of the temporal work, for it is need-
ful for us to understand these things,
that we may advance in the know-
202
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ledge of God, in the knowledge of
truth, in this great school of experi-
ence. Let us try to understand,
then, the nature of the temporal
work; for it was formed in the man-
ner specified in this revelation. Was
there any death in this creation after
the temporal was formed, before the
fall ? No. Were any birds of the
air subject to death? No. Were
any of the fishes of the sea 1 No.
Were there any animals placed on
the earth in their temporal condition
their bodies being formed and adap-
ted to the spirit that came from hea-
ven — were any subject to death ]
No. Were they ferocious] No.
To every animal that God had grant-
ed life he had given every green
herb of the field for meat, whether it
was the lion, the leopard, the wolf,
or whatever animal may have exist-
ed upon the face of the earth.
There was no such thing as one
animal destroying another — fighting
and quarrelling were unknown
among the beasts of the field. A
little child, if there had been any,
could have played, so far as any
danger was concerned, with these
animals, and they feasted upon the
'een herbs which were given to the
iasts for their sustenance. By and
by, a garden was made eastward in
Eden, in which the Lord planted a
great many beautiful trees, This
was purely a temporal work, and
that Garden would have existed un-
til to-day if death had not come into
the world through the fall of our
first parents.
How different was the second or
temporal work, that existed in the
beginning of the great work of crea-
tion, from the present order of
things ! Now we see, and according
to history we learn, that all creation
are at enmity one with another in
their natural state. Hence we find
the lions with teeth, probably con-
structed since the fall, and adapted
to devour their prey. I do not
believe they had such teeth in the
beginning. They had teeth with
wMch they ate " straw like the ox."
But everything was changed in a
great measure, in this beautiful tem-
poral creation ; and the beasts began
to fight, and quarrel and devour
each other ; and man began to be
ferocious, like the beasts, desirous
to kill his fellow man. We see him
at this early stage in our race, seek-
ing the blood of his fellows, and
entering into secret combinations to
kill, and destroy, and rob one ano-
ther of their position and property,
and to be at enmity one against ano-
ther. The Lord in the midst of this
fallen condition of his tempoi-al work,
has permitted it to continue for
about 0,000 years. But mankind
have been devising a multitude of
measures, by which they reform one
another ; but after they get pretty
well reformed they rise up again and
devour one another by wholesale.
While they are engaged in reform-
ing each other, they are making
weapons of destruction to destroy
one another. Enmity prevails, and
has prevailed, for the last 6,000
years, with the exception of now and
then a dispensation, being intro-
duced, wherein this fallen nature of
ours becomes, in a great measure,
changed through obedience to the
plan of salvation which God has
revealed ; and then we begin to love
our fellow-men, are filled with love
and kindness like, in some measure,
our heavenly Father, going forth and
proclaiming to them the Gospel of
peace, and trying to do them good,
and redeem them, and reclaim them;
and we. succeed, now and then, in
bringing some to a higher state;
they are born of God, and become
new creatures in Christ, being filled
with that superior power, that exists
PRE-EXISTENCE, ETC.
203
in that celestial world, where we
formerly resided. It comes down
from the Father, and from the Son,
and enters into the hearts of the
sons and daughters of God, and they
are made new creatures ; they begin
to love that which is good, and hate
that which is evil, and begin to per-
fect themselves in their various dis
pensations, according to the light
and knowledge sent down from hea-
ven for their perfection.
Notwithstanding so many dispen-
sations, and the world has continued
so long under the power of Satan,
now is the time when the Lord our
God has begun to send forth a pro-
clamation of redemption, to lift us
up out of this low fallen condition
in which we have been placed, and
our fathers before us, for so long a
time ; and it so happens that we are
living very near the period when the
earth will be restored from its fallen
condition to that same temporal con-
dition in which it existed before the
fall, when there was no enmity
existing between mankind. I say,
the day is now almost at hand when
the Lord is going to begin the last
of his work, which will be to make
this earth again temporal — or in
other words, to remove, in some
measure, the curse: — to restore it
back to the temporal condition in
which it was when he first organized
it and before sin contaminated it.
. In order to accomplish this work,
he is working, according to his own
wiU and pleasure, among the nations,
raising up a kingdom, a nucleus, by
taken them '* one of a city and two
of a family," gathering them out
from every nation to the land of
Zion and planting the truth in their
hearts ; they become more and more
instructed and learn more and more
of the ways of the Lord, preparatory
to the organization of this world
again in its temporal beauty and
perfection as it was when it first
issued forth in its temporal form
from the hands of the Almighty.
There is one thing connected with
the temporal form of the earth
which I did not mention ; I will
refer to it now. While this earth
existed in its more perfect temporal
form, Adam and Eve were placed
upon it, and they were immortal,
just like all the beasts and just like
the fishes of the sea ; death had not
yet come upon any of them ; all
things were immortal so far as this
creation was concerned. The first
pairs, the beginning of his temporal
work, were not subject to death.
And another thing, they were not
to be shut out from the presence of
the Almighty. They could behold
his countenance, they could hear his
voice. Th©se who then existed —
could converse with him freely.
There was no veil between them
and the Lord. Now, when the
more perfect temporal condition
shall be restored again, in the last
of his work, and the Lord shall
begin to remodel this earth, to trans-
figure it, and get it prepared for the
righteous, the veil will be taken
away, in a measure ; we shall behold
the face of the Lord again ; we shall
be able to associate with immortal
beings again ; and we shall be able
to enjoy a great many blessings that
were introduced in the beginning,
which were lost through the fall.
The Lord Jesus Christ will be here,
a part of the time, to instruct us,
and those ancient patriarchs, Adam
included, will come down out of
their ancient celestial world, where
they were first made spiritual.
They are coming upon this creation ;.
and they will have their homesteads
here ; and they will frequently, na
doubt, take great joy in gathering
together their faithful children,
from the day of their own probation
204
JOURNAL OF msC0UR8K8.
to the one hundredth generation.
It will be some pleasure for one of
our ancestors that was born a hun-
dred generations ago to say, "Come,
my children, you that are here in
the flesh that have not as yet
'become immortal, you that dwell
upon the face of this earth, partially
redeemed — come, I have some glori-
ous tidings to communicate to you.
I have something that you are not
in possession of, knowledge you have
not gained, because we have been
up in yonder celestial world ; we
have been dwelling in the presence
of our Father and Grod. We were
restored there in the dispensation in
which we died and in which we were
translated, and we have learned a
great many things that the childrtsn
of mortality do not know anything
.about. Come, gather yourselves
together, that you may behold your
former fathers, your fathers* fathers
And so on, until you extend back
for a hundred generations. Hear
the instructions that they shall im-
part to you. They w^ill tell you
about the celestial kingdom, and the
higher glory thereof, and the bles-
43ings that are to be enjoyed by those
that attain to the fulness of that
kingdom." Will not this be encou-
raging to those that are yet mortal,
during the millennium 1 I think it
-will. Then will the knowledge of
the fathers, the knowledge of the
«arth, and of the things of God, and
the knowledge of that which is
celestial, and great, and glorious,
and far beyond the comprehension
of imperfect beings as we now are
in our fallen state — then that know-
ledge will be opened up to the
minds of the children of men, during
their respective generations here
upon the earth, during the great
sabbath of creation. What is all
this fori It is to prepare their
children, during the millennium that
they may have this earth made
celestial, like unto the more ancient
one, that they, with this creation,
may be crowned with the presence
of God the Father, and his Son
Jesus Christ. We gain this know-
ledge and information by degrees.
Our children are educated and
taught, until the heavens become
familiar with them ; the Lord be-
comes familiar with them ; his coun-
tenance becomes familiar to all the
righteous of the earth. Before we
can fully understand the nature of a
still greater change than that which
has been wrought upon the temporal
creation, during the millennium,
we begin to expect it, and look for
it, and bye and bye, when evil fruit
again appears in the Lord's vine-
yard, and the earth is corrupted by
the sons of perdition, and some of
his people begin to reject the hea-
venly light, and deny their Gx>d, —
when this period of time shall come
the earth will be spared only for a
little season, and the end will come,
and the great white throne will
l' appear, and God will sit upon the
throne, and utter forth his voice and
our temporal heaven will flee away ;
and this earth although it will be so
greatly blessed, although it is so far
redeemed, although it is inhabited
by the righteous for a thousand
years, yet, because it will become
contaminated, and because it has
been so corrupted in tHe past, in
consequence of the fall of man, it
will have to die and undergo a
greater change, than all those
changes of which I have spoken.
But what says the revelation,
called the "Olive Leaf," given Dec
27th, 1832, on this subject 1 We
are told in this that the earth shall
die, and pass away, but it shall be
quickened again, for God shall
quicken the earth upon which we
live. It will become a new earth :
PRE-EXISTENCE ETC.
205
but will be prepared more perfectly
than it was under the three other
conditions in which it was placed ;
first its spiritual creation, secondly
its * temporal, in which its spiritual
and temporal were combined. The
next condition is that of restoring it
from the fall back to a temporal con-
dition, and then a still greater
change, like unto the death of our
bodies, when our bodies crumble
back to mother earth and pass them-
selves among the elements. So it
will be with this earth. It will
crumble, or in other words, the ele-
ments will be separated asunder,
and the world will pass away from
his presence. What nextl Ano-
ther great change to be wrought.
The same elements, constituting the
earth, and the atmosphere will be
brought together again, in such a
manner and way, that the new earth
will look like unto a sea of glass,
and those who ara worthy of the
celestial glory will inhabit it forever.
What will be the condition of the
people who dwell upon that glorious
celestial world 1 They will have the
presence of God the Father with
them. They will be permitted to
dwell where he is. He will light
up that world ; they will have no
need of the rays of the sun, as we
now have, neither of the moon, nor
stars, so far as light is concerned, for
the Lord God will be their light and
their glory from that time hence-
forth and forever. In this new crea-
tion the tree of life will flourish and
grow. All beings that partake of
the fruit of the tree of life will be
constituted, so that they will live
for ever and ever.
These are the different conditions
of this creation given in a general
outline. We are now living near
the close of 6000 years during which
time evil and wickedness have pre-
vailed. The devil has had great
power and dominion over the genera-
tions of the earth ; and the earth
itself has groaned under the load of
sin an<i corruption which has been
upon its face. Enoch when envel-
oped in the vision of the Almighty,
beheld and heard the earth groan
under this load of wickedness, cry-
ing out to the Lord, saying — *' When
will my creator sanctify me, that
righteousness may abide upon my
face. When shall I rest from all
the wickedness that has gone out of
me." He was informed that there
was a day of rest coming for old
mother earth, — for he was grieved
in his heart for the earth itself, as
well as the inhabitants thereof ; for
he saw how the earth was afflicted,
until she groaned to be relieved.
But the time will come, when it
will be sanctified. We are living
near that period of time. It is for
this purpose you have come to these
mountains. It is for this purpose
you have received the spirit of truth,
the Holy Ghost, the comforter, to
sanctify you, and prepare you to
take part in this great work of the
latter-days, which God has decreed
from the beginning should come to
pass in its time and season.
You have come from the nations
abroad, to be instructed in the ways
of the Lord, to be taught in the
ordinances that pertain to the great
and last dispensation of the fullness
of times, — ordinances that did not
pertain to any former dispensation,
— ordinances that were not made
known to any former people, but
ordinances and principles that per-
tain to the exaltation and glory of
the world which we inhabit
This being then the present con-
dition of our earth, the present con-
dition of the Latter-day Saints, and
the work that is before them, to pre-
pare them for the coming of the
Lord, and for the redemption of tho
206
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
eai'th, what manner of persons
ought you and I to be, to prepare
for so great a change which is to
come over the face of this creation 1
How ought we to act and conduct
ourselves? How careful we ought
to be in our doings, in all our con-
versations, in all our ways, to sancti-
fy the Lord God in our hearts, to
have an eye single to his glory, to
keep his commandments in all
things, to obey him with full purpose
of heart, that we may be visited
with more and more of that heaven-
ly divine spirit, the Comforter, the
Holy Ghost which we had confirmed
upon us, by authority, through the
laying on of hands. That Comforter
should be nourished and cherished
in our hearts. We should not
grieve it. We should listen to its
whisperings, and we should seek
after more light, and knowledge,
and truth. We must not expect
the Holy Spirit to impart the future
knowledge that will be necessary for
the advancement of Latter-day
Saints without any exertion of the
mind on our part. In all things the
Lord requires man as an agent to
exert his faculties in order to obtain
any blessing, of whatever nature it
may be, whether ii be the spirit of
vision or the spirit of translating, or
any other gift. We cannot let our
minds remain dormant, taking no
thought, expecting to be filled with
the spirit of translation, or the spirit
of inspiration, or revelation, or
vision ; but there must be an exer-
tion of the mind, there must be an
exercise of the agency of man and
woman, in order that we may reach
out after these great and glorious
fifts, promised to us. And by and
y, we will, after a school of expe-
rience has been given to us, find our-
selves advanced to that degree, that
the Lord will condescend to visit us
by his angels — ^visit us by heavenly
communications — ^visit us by visipns
— visit us more fully by the spirit
of revelation that the M'ords of Isaiah
may be fulfilled to the very letter.
When speaking of the latter-day
Zion, he says, " thy children shall all
be taught of the Lord" — not being
under the necessity of being taught
by man, but all shall know the Lord
from the least of tiiem unto the
greatest of them. This is the pro-
mise. All the children will be
taught from on high, like the
Nephite children in ancient days.
We know how it was with them.
The power of the Holy Ghost des-
cended upon them, filling them, and
encircling them round about, by a
pillar of fire, and their tongues were
loosed, even the tongues of babes
and sucklings uttered forth great
and marvelous things — far greater
than that which Jesus had taught to
them. The Lord operated upon
them, to utter forth his knowledge,
so that their fathers marvelled
exceedingly. So great was the
power and intelligence of Almighty
God, manifested through these Httle
babes, that no man was permitted
to write the words they spoke, no
man was permitted to utter them,
no man was permitted to hand down
these things to future generations ;
they were things too great, too glori-
ous, too holy, too far advanced for
the children of this world. Hence
they were hidden up from the
world.
May God assist us, and pour out
his Holy Spirit upon us is my prayer
in the name of Jesus. Amen.
A INING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC.
207
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDE.^T JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Kaysville, on Sunday Afternoon, March 1st, 1880.
(Reported by Qeo, F. Gihhs.)
sustaining the authorities — POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD — FAITH-
FULNESS REQUIRED, ETC.
We have been voting for our oflS.-
cers and for tboee holding places in
the Church and kingdom of God in
this stake of Zion. And it is well
for us sometimes to understand what
we do in relation to these matters.
We hold up our right hand when
voting in token before Grod that we
will sustain those for whom we vote ;
and if we cannot feel to sustain
them we ought not to hold up our
hands, because to do this, would be
to act the part of hypocrites. And
the question naturally arises, how
far shall we sustain them ] Or in
other words, how far are we at
at liberty to depart from this cove-
nant, which we make before each
other and before our God 1 For
when we lift up our hands in this
way, it is in token to God that we
are sincere in what we do, and that
we will sustain the parties we vote
for. This is the way I look at these
things. How far then should we
sustain them, and how far should
we not % This is a matter of serious
importance to us ; if we agree to do
a thing and do not do it, we become
covenant breakers and violators of
our obligations, which are, perhaps,
as solemn and binding as anything,
we can enter into. .
We frequently pass by many of
those important things which we
have engaged to abide by, and some-
times begin to whisi^er by way of
complaining or finding fault one
with another after we have entered
into solemn obligations that we will
not do it. What is meant by sus-
taining a person 1 Do we under-
stand it 1 It is a very simple thing
to me ; I do not know how it is with
you. For instance, if a man be a
teacher, and I vote that I will sus-
tain him in his position, when he
visits me in an official capacity I
will welcome him and treat him
with consideration, kindness and
respect and if I need counsel I will
ask it at his hand, and I will do
everything I can to sustain him.
That would be proper and a princi-
ple of righteousness, and I would
not say anything derogatory to his
character. If that is not correct I
have it yet to learn. And then if
anybody in my presence were to
whisper something about him dis-
paraging to his reputation, I would
say. Look here ! are you a Saint 1
Yes. Did you not hold up your hand
to sustain lum % Ye.s. Then why do
you not do it ? Now, I would call
an action of that kind sustaining him.
208
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
If any man make an attack upon his
reputation — for all men's reputations
are of importance to them — I would
defend him in some such way.
When we vote for men in the solemn
way in which we do, shall we abide
by our covenants ] or shall we viol-
ate them ] If we violate them we
become covenant-breakers. We
break our faith before God and our
brethren, in regard to the acts of
men whom we have covenanted to
sustain. But supposing he should
do something wrong, supposing he
should be found lying or cheating,
or defrauding somebody ; or stealing
or anything else, or even become
impure in his habits, would you
still sustain him ? It would be my
duty then to talk with him as I
would with anybody else, and tell
him that I had understood that
things were thus and so, and that
under these circumstances I could
not sustain him ; and if I found that
I had been misinformed I would
withdraw the charge ; but if not it
would then be my duty to see that
justice was administered to him,
that he was brought before the pro-
per tribunal to answer for the things
he had done ; and in the absence of
that I would have no business to
talk about him.
It is well for us to get at some of
these little things ; they are matters,
however, of a good deal of import-
ance. What I have said with regard
to a teacher, would apply to the
priest and the deacon.
Then, again, we havt bishops,
We vote for them ; and they hold a
portion of the priesthood which
renders their duties many times
very unpleasant ; that is naturally
they would be unpleasant ; but no
duty ought to be unpleasant to the
servants of God. Now, supposing
the bishop should do something that
is wrong, what would be our dutyl
It would be to go to him and say^
"Bishop, I have reason to believe
that things are thus and sq, evidence
having been presented to me, and it
is of such a character that I am in-
clined to think that you have been
taking a wrong course, and there-
fore I have come to talk to you,
yourself, about the matter." Who
ought to do thisi Anybody.
What, would not his position
deprive us of that right of approa<jh-
ing him 1 No. Supposing you had
been injured by him, or somebody
else had been injured by him, or
something had occurred that caused
you to entertain feelings against him
it would be much better to probe
the thing to the bottom and have it
straightened out than to foster it
and allow it to corrode and inter-
fere with your peace and happiness,
because you have covenanted to sus-
tain him ; on the other hand, we
cannot sustain anything that is un-
righteous, impure or unholy. We
go to him and say. Bishop so and
so, I have come to see you on un-
pleasant business — ^you may be po-
lite about it or you may not — ^but
people can always afford to be po-
lite ; I have learned thus and so ; I
hope I am misinformed, can you ex-
plain that to me? If the matter
could be explained to your satisfac-
tion you would be glad of it ; but
whether it could be or not you
would have the satisfaction of know-
ing that you had performed your
duty. If not, however, and the
matter be of such a character as to
call for an investigation, it would
be proper that it be inquired into
by the proper authorities. Then
you are free, and you have not viol-
ated any covenant. If any cove-,
nants have beei;! violated, it is h^
that is guilty, and it is for him to
account for his acts to the Lord and
his brethren ; and if no wrong shfdl
SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC.
20»
be found in him, there is no good
man but M^hat would be pleased to
see such a man acquitted. But
while we seek equity and justice ©n
the one hand, on the other we must
not interfere with the rights of any-
body ; no matter who it is that in-
dulges in iniquity, their iniquity
will find them out sooner or later.
And it is better for us instead of
talking to this one and the other, if
wrong exists, to go direct to the
persons themselves and have it ad-
justed, then bring it up according to
the rules laid down governing such
matters. Then the doer of the
wrong is accountable for the wrong,
not somebody else. Then when he
is dealt with by the Church, whe
ther he be a teacher, priest, deacon,
bishop or anybody else, you are free
from all responsibility afterwards of
sustaining that man. And until
the proper course , has been taken
with such a person, we should be
very careful what course we pursue
in relation to this kind of thing, so
that we do not violate our cove-
nants.
There is an uneasy feeling existing
among some people : they can see
plenty of wrong all around if they
have a mind to ; and some will apos-
tatize because somebody else has
done wrong. What a foolish course
that is to pursue ! If we follow God's
plan we can bring the sin right
home to the man who has done the
wrong; and if he did not repent of it,
he would have to be cut off. But
the devil would say, " I would not
stop in a church where there were
such folks." He would first influ-
ence a number of the people to do
wrong, and. then he would try to get
the others to leave the Church be-
cause some of the members were do-
ing wrong. That however would be
foohsh, imd contrary to the order of
Ged.
No. 14.
The Lord has placed in his Church
Apostles and Prophets, High Priests,
Seventies, Elders, etc., what fori
For the perfecting of the Saints.
Are we ail perfect to begin with %
No. These various officers are for
perfecting of the Saints. What
else 1 For the work of the ministry;
that men might be qualified and in-
formed and be full of intelligence,
wisdom and light, and learn to pro-
claim the principles of eternal truth
and to bring out from the treasury
of God things new and old, things
calculated to promote the welfare of
the people. Now, then, these offices
having been placed in the Church,
every man ought to be respected in
his office. I know some of you think
we can respect some, and some we
cannot resrect ; we can respect some
of the prominent authorities — I do
not know who they are, do you 1 You
remember when Jesus was upon the
earth, some of his followers were con-
tending, as to who was the greatest:
and he took a Uttle child and placed
it in their midst, he said, '* he that
can be most like this little child, is
the greatest in the kingdom of hea-
ven. And I will tell you more
than that, that the teacher, or dea-
con that fulfills his duties is a greAt
deal more honorable than a presi-
dent or any of the twelve that does
not And there are duties and re-
sponsibilities devolving on all of us
pertaining to these matters ; and we
ought to be very careful in all our
acts that we do not transgress the
laws of God.
In a few remarks yesterday ^
referred to the various officers df
the Church, and to some of the leaA*
ing duties that devolve upon them
to attend to. There are duties
dev.elving upon ^ of us which we
cannot ignore. Duties as Apostles^
duties as presidents of stakes, dutite
as bishdps, duties as high coun6iIoi1i^
Vol. XXI.
210 JOURNAL OF DISCXiUBSKS.
duties pertaining to all the various ; ledge of this t God revealed it to
officers in the ChurclL Well, can , his servant Joseph Smith. And
any man that has received the holy when he did so, he did not say much
priesthood, and who comprehends ! about it himself. The first thing he
the position he occupies before God : did when he appeared to Joseph was
— ^which very few ot us .can do — can | to introduce his Son ; pointing unto
he afford to neglect any of those ' him, he said : " This is my beloved
duties ? I think not. We call this ' Son, hear him.'* And what did the
organization that we are associated ■ Son say t We have his teachings in
with, the church and kiugilom of ; the Gospel, in his communications
God. Is it the Church of God! with the Nephites and others. Then
Yes. Then it is God's church is it j there wer^ others who held the
not] Yes. Who is at the head of priesthood with him; who held it on
it ? The Lord ought to be, and we j the earth and who now hold it in eter-
ought to be subject to him. Who? . nity, and who held the keys of this
Why every one of us ; myself, say, j priesthood; and those several parties
and all the Twelve, the presidents . came and conferred the keys which
of stakes, the bishops, the high j they held upon him, but not until
priests, the elders, the seventies, the ; the Lord had come and given them
high councilors^ and all men in the I permission to do so. Hence we got
Church ought to feel that we are ' our Aaronic priesthood through that
the church of Giod, in the Church ■ means, and we got our Melchisedec
of God and subject to the law of! priesthood through that means, and
God. We talk about a priesthood ; * any office or ordinance that any
who are the Priesthood, and what is | of you have received, you received it
4t ! As I understand it^ it is the ; through that medium, or you have
jule and the government of Crod, . received none at aU. Very well,
iriiether it exists in the heavens or j what does it lead us to 9 To those
on the earth ; whether we refer to j whom we call sons of God. Just
the things of time or to the things ; as it was said on former occasions,
of eternity; whether we refer to
OHntual things or to temporal things,
wj aie» or ought to be, under the
Now are we sons of €rod, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall
be : but we know that, when he
raidance and dominion of God. ; shall appear, we shall })e like him,
How and from whom did we receive ' for we shaQ see him as he is." Yeiy
OBT anthoiity I Let os (lo back for
a. while, and who coold we find any-
where upon the earth that had
weD, we are the sons of Grod
then, the chosen of God, the elect of
God, called by him, set apart by
authority even to proclaim the Gos- him, through Uie medium of this
pel, or to administer in the ordinan- ! holy priesthood of which I have
of the CrOfl|iel1 Coold we find spoken. And if we have received
any office, or caSing, er authority,
or any power to administer in any of
the ordinances, we have receivtd
that firom the hand of God, and we
anybody I No, we eoold not. I
jeoold not in my younger days — and
X sought diligentlj fx it, but I could
not find anybody who possessed it
What, not amon^ the i^^ous pro- can only perform these ordinances
Cbbsots m( the wuld. Nowhere
acewding to the priesthood we
among tli ^ kamed, the inteUigent, are permitted to possess. For
ihescientifict No^nowheie. Yeiy ! instance, an dda cannot perform
wfS, how did we cone at a know- [ the labor of an i^postie ; a bishop
SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC.
211
cannot perform the labor of an apos-
tle ; and a bishop, as a bishop, out-
side of other things, has not author-
ity^ to lay on hands to impart the
gtft of the Holy Ghost ; whatever
He may do in that capaeity it is
through the Meychisedec priesthood
which he holds, and he could not do
it without. Can a priest lay hands
upon people and say. " Eeceive ye
the Holy Ghost f No, it does not
belong to him to do it. Well, then,
men are necessarily confined to
operate within the limits and autho-
rity ot the various oflSces of the
priesthood to which they are called
and ordained — an elder to perform
the office of an elder, a priest to per-
form the office of a priest. In early
days it was quite common foF a priest
to go out and preach the Gospel and
baptize people for the remission of
sins, and then call upon an elder to
lay hands upon them to confirm them
members of the Church, for the
priest did not have the power to do
it. And while the priest could bap-
tize, a teacher or a deacon could not,
not having the authority to do it ;
if they were to do it, it would not
amount to anything. There is strict
order about these things associated
with the Church and kingdom of
God. Well, then, on the other
band, if we perform our duties, each
one of us in our proper position,
God gives us power to accomplish
the object we have in view, no mat-
ter what it is, or what priesthood we
hold ; no matter whether it is the
president of the Church, or the pre-
sident of the stake, a bishop, a high
councilor, a high priest, a seventy,
or an elder, priest, teacher er deacon;
no matter what, if they perform
duties with an eye single to the glory
of God, he will sustain them in their
operations and administrations.
Now, I wiU refer to a principle
which is perhaps one of the greatest
manifestations of the power ^nd
goodness of God that exists in thiis
Church, and at the same time one
that is as little noticed ; but one
wherein God does manifest himself
in a most remarkable manner in the
view of all reflecting, intelligent men.
For instance, the elders go forth to
preach the Gospel ; they call upon
people t3 repent and to be baptized
in the name of Jesus for the remis-
sion of their sins. Did you ever
think what the name meant ? If a
man go in the name of another per-
son, he goes by the authority of that
person. If an agent, say of Z. C. M.
I„ or any other firm, go in the name
of this. firm,, it is expected that he
has credentials from the firm he
represents. Or, if a governor comes
here, he is first appointed by the
proper authorities — nominated by
the President and confirmed by the
Senate of the United States, and he
comes with proper credentials to act
as governor of this Territory ; he
comes in the name or by the autho-
rity of the United States ; and the
government of the United States
feels itself bound to back up his acts,
the same as a mercantile firm would
feel obligated to acknowledge the
acts of its agents.
Now, then, the Lord has com-
menced his Church here upon the
earth. He has conferred upon men
his holy Melchisedec priesthood ; he
has told them to go forth and preach
and call upon the people to repent
and be baptized in the name of
Jesus, for the remission of sins, and
they should receive the Holy Ghost.
You all know about these things, it
is not necessary to talk much about
them.
Very well ; now, then, this elder
goes forth in the name of God, does
he net 1 That is the way I under-
stand it — ^by the authority of the
Lord, and in the name of the Lord
212
JOURNAX OF DISCOUBSBS.
J^esus Christ, be preaches this doc-
>tnne to the people. ***Now," says
'he, " repent and be baptized, evary
'one of yon, in the name of Jesus, for
:ihe remission of your sins, said you
'siiall receive the Holy Grhost" A
priest could not say, xoa shall re-
iceive the Holy Ghost ; a teacher or
m deacon could not say it, neither
could a bishop say it by virtue of
his bishopric, but he could by virtue
of the high priesthood he holds.
Now, then, let any of Xhese men go
to work and lay hands on anybody
ibr the gift of the Holy Ghost,
3,nd they might as well do anything
else, it would not amount to any-
thing. But an elder, or anyone
holding the proper authority, comes
^along, and takes the cand^te for
baptism and, after baptizing him, he
lays his hands upon his head and
says : '^ In the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the
holy priesthood conferred upon me,
I lay my hands upon your head and
<3onfirm you a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ;
and I say unto you, receive ye the
Holy Ghost" Did you ever think
of that) It is quite a significant
thing, is it not ) And you do it in
the name of Jesus Christ and by
authority whidi God has given you.
You lay your hands upon the indi-
vidual who has been baptized for the
i»mission of sins, and say, ** Eeceive
ye the Holy Ghost," and he receives
it. If that is not so, tell me, will
yevtj you that have had hands laid
ti|»on your heads by the elders of
tUs Church. You know what I say
is true. Now, I propose to show a
certain principle, namely, that God
is true to the covenants which he
makes with us, and that there is no
Violation of the law or promises on
hfa part. God will bless a teacher
^ this Church when he goes forth j
in t\» performance of bis duties |
among the people ; he will bless a
bishop in his administration, and
others in the discharge of their sev-
eral duties, no matter what their
priesthood may be. But here is m
important item : there are some of
these things which I have referred to
that some cannot do — they cannot
not lay hands upon them to impart
unto them the Holy Ghost. If an
elder can, he does it by and through
the authority of Jesus Christ, through
the medium of the holy priesthood
conferred upon him by those holding
authority. And when ho performs
this act, the recipients having com-
plied with the requirements — faith,
repentance and baptism — when he
lays his hands upon their heads, God
sanctions his action by impairting
the Holy Ghost. Thus proving that
God is true to his agreement ; and
through that means we become the
sons of God and belong to the house-
hold of faith, and to us properly be-
long the covenants and blessings as-
sociated therewith. These are the
initiatory stepsw And we have a
witness within ourselves, each ofte
of us, in regard to those great priii-
ciples that God lias revealed to llie
human family. Now, then, are tl^e
the sons of God 1 Is he out Fathevf
Yes. Have we received his Spirit,
whereby we are enabled to cry, "Ab-
ba Father," or " my Father r Yee.
What have we done since we re-
ceived iti We do not like to look
at some of our acts when we thii^
of these things ; we would rather
we could blot them out from oior
memories, but we cannot ; they
there. And when we reflect u
our follies, our iinperfections
our iniquities of various kinds, hmf
do we feeH We do not feel pleaaant
about it. God has conferred upon
us the greatest treasure and tk»
greatest boon he cocdd bestow upon
the human family, but we ha3Pii
SUSTAi:4aia THJ£ AUTHORITIES, ETC.
213
received tbe treasure in earthen
vfiBBels. We often do things we
<m^t not to dofy axtd leave undone
things we oughjb.to do.; aod how
often have we grieved the Spirit of
Ofod within us ! He has done more
for us than this. He has placed us
here in his Church and kingdom ;
he has gathered us together ; he has
oiganized us according to the laws
and order of the holy priesthood.
He has united us to our wives, and
our wives to their husbands, with an
everlasting covenant that cannot be
be broken. But we break it some-
times, don't we 1 He has shown us
how and in what way our wives may
be united with us in the eternities
to come, and how wo may have oiir
children sealed to us and be one
with us in time and in eternity, and
has poured blessings upon many of
our heads that will exist while time
shall last and eternity endure. It
was said of Jesus, that to his govern-
ment and dominion there should be
no end. And the same has been
said of a great many more ; and yet
we will allow little things to sepa-
rate us from our God, and from our
brethren, and from our wives and
then our wives from their husbands,
and break up, and rant and rear and
destroy, until we hardly know
whether it is us or somebody else.
Sometimes we hardly know whether
we are in the Church and kingdom
of God or not, until in many instan-
ces the light within us becomes
darkness, and then, oh, how great is
that darkness ! It is necessary that
we should study well and watch well
the path of our feet. We are here
laying the foundation for eternity,
and for no other purpose. We are
here that we may receive bodies,
that in our bodies and spirits, and
through them and through the
powers of the priesthood and the
everlasting Gospel, we may gain a
position by and bye, among the GodSa
in the eternal worlds, and- with them^
possess a glory and dominion saait
aulihoiftty, power attd exaltation tbaii
haa hacdiy entered into our hearts
to conceive of. And yet, we will
fritter away our privileges, treats
lightly the ^ings of God, disregard/
the counsels of God and the priesl^-'
hood of God, and wander in by and/
forbidden paths, and lose sight of.
these great and gl<^ous principles^
that God has revealed for the salvar
tion of the human family.
Referring to the principle of union,
we ought to be one. W^ have things
come up quite frequently, say, in a,
legislative capacity and otherwise,
and our legislators and others enter
into certain measures, but the peo*
pie will not be sufficiently united to.
carry them out And there seems
to be a spirit, more or less among
the people like this : some wifl.
brusquely and thoughtlessly say,
*'I will be damned if I don't have
my own way." All right I will,
tell you another thing : you will be.
damned if you do, unless your way
is the way that God will sanction.
Let me speak of some other things
associated with this. If we had per^
feet union, what is there we could
not accomplish 1 And yet God has
done a great deal for us. We have-,
for instance, one man in Congress to.
represent our interests ; only one.
man, and he has not a vote at that.
And in a great many instances the*
combined powers of the United
States have been plotting against us,
and it is to-day seeking our over-
throw. And whyl Because W6'
dare believe in God, and because wa
dare keep his commandments, mis*
erably as we do it, and the little wss
do of it We do not do much, but
the little we do, produces this kind
of feeling ; because this world im
opposed to God and to his laws and
2U
JOURNAL OF BISCOURSXS.
to his church and kingdom. And
what hare they done hitherto 1
You could not get a man anywhere
in the United States that knows
anything of the workings of govern-
ment or affairs brought in operation
against us, but what believed that
we would have been destroyed and
swept off the earth long ago. But
we are still here. Why 1 Not be-
cause you and I had fulfilled all our
covenants and observed the laws of
God ; but it is because God knows
and remembers that we are but
flesh, but weak, fallen hun\anity ;
he remembers we are but dust ; it is
because he feels kindly and gra-
ciously toward us, and has said that
it is his business to take care of his
Saints^ and to fight our battles for
us. It is not because of what we
have done, for we have not done
much. And if God had not sus-
tained us and turned away and re-
strained the wrath of man, we
would not have been here to-day.
Now, this is a fact. Well, Grod is
kind to us ; do not let us treat him
so thoughtlessly ; do not let us treat
his ordinances lightly; but rather
let us reverence and esteem those
men upon whom God has placed his
holy priesthood, and let us try by
our faith and prayers and by our
acts, to sustain them in all particu-
lars as we agreed to do when we
held up our hands. And then I
ask no odds of the combined powers
of the whole world, for God is on
our side, and as long as we maintain
our position before him, I will risk
the balance. He holds the nations
in his hands, and he will say to
them, as he did to the waves of the
mighty ocean—" Hitherto shalt thou
go and no farther, and here shall
ibj proud waves be stayed." And
they cannot help themselves. We
are in the hands of God, and they
are. And I am afraid sometimes.
when I see the follies of my breth-
ren ; I tremble for the result ; but
Grod is gracious and kind. Do not
let us be ungrateful, but let us try
to rememllr the blessing ml
which we are surrounded, the bene-
fits he confers upon us — ^the light
of the holy Gospel, our present and
eternal associations ; and remember
that we are placed here as represen-
tatives ot God upon the earth, to
operate with prophets and apostles
and men of God who lived and died
and are now behind the vail, to
operate with them in the accomplish-
ment of the purposes of God, per-
taining to the earth whereon we
stand. We are living in an eventful
time, in the dispensation of the full-
ness of times, the period in which
God has said he would gather to-
gether all things in one, whether
tliey be things in heaven or things
on the earth ; and therefore, he has
organized us as we are.
When Jesus was here he felt the
importance of the things I am now
speaking of ; and when he was about
to leave his disciples he knew what
the powers of darkness were, for he
battled with them ; and, indeed he
was able to do so, having been
anointed with the oil of gladness
above his fellows. But notwith-
standing this and the fact of his be-
ing the Only Begotten of the Father,
yet, when he came to wrestle with
the difficulties he had to cope with,
he sweat great drops of blood, and
said " Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me ; I shrink to
encounter the things I have to cope
with, but nevertheless, not my will
but thine be done." Now, we have
to pass through a variety of things ;
many of us are tried and tempted,
and we get harsh and hard feelings
against one another. And it re-
minds me of your teams when going
down hill with a heavy load.
SFSTAmiNG THE AUTHORITIES', ETC.
215
When the load begins to crowd on
to the horses, you will frequently
see one snap at his mate, and the
other will prick up his ears and snap
back again. And why ? A little
while before, perhaps, and they were
pla}'ing with each other. Because
the load crowds on them. Well,
when the load begins to crowd, do
not snap at your brethren, but let
them feel that you are their friends,
and pull together. Says Jesus, with
reference to his disciples, ** Father,
I pray that these may be one, I in
them and thou in me ; that that
spirit, O God that dwells in thee
and that thou hast imparted unto
me, might also dwell in them, and
that their hearts may be united to-
gether by the bonds of eternal life
and fellowship and priesthood ; that
they may feel after one another's
welfare and seek to promote one
another's happiness, we having drunk
of that river, the streams whereof
shall make glad the city of our
God ;" that it may arise and flow
and bubble in our hearts, and that
its vivifying streams may be felt
wherever we go, and that the influ-
ence and light and power and spirit
and intelligence of God may be with us,
that we may be one, according to
the prayer of our Lord, "as I
Father, am in thee, and thou in me,
that the world may know that thou
hast sent me," These principles are
as eternal as the heavens. Do they
exist in heaven 1 Yes. You read
the first chapter of Genesis pertain-
ing to these matters ; and how is it]
"In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth. And
the earth was without form and
void ; and darkness was upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of
God moved upon the face of the
waters.
And God said, Let there be light :
and there was light."
He had nobody around him to
rise up and say, had you not better
put it off for a little while, ©r other-
wise change things, or to intimate
that they were not prepared for
what was done. No, they knew
better. I suppose it would be more
correct to rentier it, " And the Gods
said. Let there be light, etc" But
to us you know there is only one
God ; and ho said, let there be light,
and there was light. And God saw
the light that it was good. It was
made according to eternal principles,
according to the strictest principles
of intelligence and philosophy ; and
when it was made, it was declared
good.
In the councils of the Gods in the
eternal worlds there was no confu-
sion — I rather think there were no
politicians there, no one to get up
any feelings of animosity. Things
were agreed upon, and when this
was done they were carried out.
When agreed upon God would say,
let so and so be done, and it was
done. Now, we see that there was
perfect unanimity ; but there was
not always unanimity in heaven even.
What, not in heaven 1 No, not
until one thijd part was cast out ;
and I do not think that it was for
doing any good. Sometimes I think
we will have to cast out quite a
number too, in order to get things
in the right shape. Satan was cast
out, and those that adhered to him
who rebelled against God in the
eternal worlds. Well, everything
has not been altogether pure in hea-
ve* ; but they straightened them
out as well as they could, as we do
here sometimes, and as we do not do
here very often.
And when we talk about the hea-
vens, there will be a new heaven ag
well as a new earth. You know, we
read that there will be a new heaven
atnd a new earth, wherein righteous-
216
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ness will dwell.
Well, we are here struggling and
trying to introduce correct princi-
ples, and to advance not only the
interests of the Church of God, but
the kingdom of God, for God will
have a kingdom. I hope you will
not tell it to anybody if I tell you
something — God will have a king-
dom, and he will have rule and
dominion, for this earth belongs to
him and he will possess it, and his
Saints will inherit it at last. We
did not use to be afraid of talking
about these things. In former times
they told us that the Saints of the
Most High should finally take the
kingdom and the greatness of the
kingdom, which should be given to
the Saints of the Most High God.
Do you believe it ] I happen to be
one who believes it. And I pro-
phesy that it will be fulfilled. But
we are a sorry lot of people to do a
thing of that kind, are we not?
We have not made much progress
yet in the race ; we are only pre-
paring for it, many of us cannot do
what Brother Joseph F. Smith was
talking about yesterday, that is
making a sacrifice and feel that we
are for God and his kingdom. But
we can hardly get out of it. I tell
you how some of us feel — "God
bless me and my wife, my son John
and his wife us four and no more.
Amen." That feeling is a long way
from the other. God feels interested
in the welfare of the whole human
femily. What, of the Saints 1 Yes,
and the others too. But the others
do not have the priesthood. The
others, if they ever obtain a celestial
glory, will have to obtain it through
the Latter-day Saints. What man-
ner of people ought we to be ? A
little dSferent from what we are.
We think it troublesome sometimes
to pay our tithing; we think it
troublesome sometimes to pray in
our families ; we think it trouble-
some sometimes to feed the poor and
take care of the destitute. Well,
suppose we were to change places a
little while with them, how would
you feel then ] You would feel that
it was much better to give than to
receive. We want our feelings and
sympathies drawn out. And God
has placed us where we are, in order
that we may be preserved to receive
Instructions from his hands. We
have in our school operations what
we call our normal schools, to pre-
p.are teachers to teach others. Now,
the Lord has a normal school in
Utah. He is preparing us in a
variety of ways — sometimes we have
not enough snow in the winter sea-
son, and consequently a scarcity of
water in the summer ; sometimes too
much rain, and at other times not
enough ; we have some wise and some
unwise, and we have some rich and
some poor. Yes, we have some who
are poor among us, and why 1 We
would not know what it was to see
persons in those circumstances if we
did not have some among us, and
then, the opportunity is afforded us
to show our kindness, and to develop
witliin us that fellow-feeling we
sometimes talk about. But we do
not want to call them poor, for some
of them are just as good as we are,
and some perhaps a little better
than many of us. If good people
are suffering for the common neces-
saries of life, the scriptures say, '* If
a man having this world's goods see
his brother in need, and shutteth up
his bowels of compassion, how dwell-
eth the love of God in him V And
in regard to those matters, we ought
to look to the wants of everybody ;
that, however, more particularly
devolves upon the bishops and the
brethren of the Aaronic priesthood.
Do not let us make paupers of them ;
but let us treat them as brethren
SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC.
217
and sisters, as good, honorable men
and women ; let us see that they are
provided for. I hare seen some
people who wouM get down upon
their knees and pray most heartily
for God to feed the poor and clothe
the naked. Now, I would never ask
the Lord to do a thing that I would
not do. If we have them among us,
suppose we go at it and relieve
them. I do not think we have
much of that to do here ; but,
enough, perhaps, to draw forth your
good feelings and sympathies. And
if people sustain misfortune of any
kind, look after them and bestow
upon them those things necessary
for their welfare and happiness.
And Uod will bless us in so doing.
I would a great deal rather that you
would take, say a sack of flour,
some beef, a hundred of sugar, some
butter and cheese, and clothing atid
fuel, and such comforts and conve-
niences of life, and thus try to make
people feel happy than all the
prayers you could offer up to the
Lord about it ; and he would rather
see it too ; that is the proper way
to do things. In receiving blessings
ourselves, try to distribute them,
and God will bless and guide us in
the ways of peace.
Perhaps I am occupying too much
time. I do not care much about
making a big discourse; I am talking
in a plain, easy way, and I think
you understand it. And if there is
a widow, or an orphan, or any desti-
tute persons, or any one who has to
struggle hard, look after them, and
•do not try to make paupers of them ;
but what you do for them, do it in a
kind, good feeling, making them to [
feel and realize that you are their
fiiends. And then, let us try to do
away with all our little difficulties —
husbands with their wives. Why
will you complain about your wives]
Because they will get cross. Are
you not cross ? " Yes ; but my wife
is not as kind as she used to be.'*
Well, try to get along with her, and
treat her kindly ; and be kind to one.
another. If you live in this way
while here in the flesh, you will be
glad to meet one another in the eter-
nal worlds. Cultivate every good
principle, and live in his fear day by
day, and he will take care of us, and
he will bless and multiply our flocks
and herds, our lands aud everything
we have.
I will tell you a secret. If we
could only prepare ourselves to do
the will of God and keep his com-
mandments and live our religion so
that God could trust us with more
means than we have, he would so
order things, and that too by natu-
ral ways, that our desires in that
direction would be fully gratified.
But we are not prepared for it ; it
would only destroy us, and lead us
to the devil ; and the Lord knows it.
At the same time we cannot com-
plain in this regard ; the Lord has
treated us very well. I do not know
of a people anywhere that are better
off as a whole than we are. It is
true we do not have the amount of
wealth among us that may be found
in older countries ; but then we do
not have the poverty, the suffering
and distress that may be found else-
where. It is for us to introduce
principles that will obviate all these
difficulties, and that will prepare us
to receive blessings from God, and
to administer the same wisely.
Another thing. We are building
temples. Are we doing pretty welH
Yes. Do you find fault 1 No. I
have nothing to say about it ; I
think the people are doing very well
especially in some districts in the
north and south, indeed, I think
more than they are able to do. But
the^ could not do what they have
already done and what they are
218
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
doing without the assistance and I
blessing of the Almighty. They are
building two beautiful edifices.
What ior 1 Is it a matter of specu-
lation 1 Yes, one of the greatest
speculations ever conceived of. It is
for the salvation of the human
family ; it is for the redemption of
the living and salvation of the dead.
It is for the accomplishment of the
purposes of God pertaining to the
inhabitants of the earth, our fore-
fathers, and then, all we can attain
to after that. In those things we
are doing very, very well ; and I
feel to bless the people because of
their liberality in relation to those
matters, especially those of the dis-
tricts I have referred to.
Well, now, I do not know that I
should detain you much longer.
What shall we do % Keep our cove-
nants, sustain Brother Smith ; and
let Brother Smith act in a way that
will be worthy of being sustained.
And then sustain your bishops, and
let them also so act as to be worthy
of your esteem. And sustain their
counselors, and hearken to their
counsels and advice. They are seek-
ing to do you good ; and to build up
your interests. And then sustain
your teachers, and your deacons and
your priests, and do all you can to
lift them up that they may be
enabled to do a good work in their
day and generation, and benefit you
and your generations after you.
And then there are others. You
have your Relief Societies, and I am
glad always to speak a word in be-
half of them. Our sisters are one
with us ; and we are operating to-
gether in trying to build up the
kingdom of God. I would say to
the sisters I would watch iifter the
youth and after the interests of the
sisters, and try to introduce every-
thing good and praiseworthy, and
try to do all you can to promote the
welfare of your sons and daughters ;
and God will bless you as he has
done, and more abundantly. 1 was
pleased to hear a compliment that
was made to our Young people's
Mutual Improvement Associations.
It is gratifying to parents and to all
who have the interests of Zion at
heart, to hear of, and to see our
young men and women grow up in
the fear of God. Some, as is the
case everywhere, are inclined to be
a little rude and thoughtless. It is
our privilege, and the privilege of
the youth, to improve, and to culti-
vate our morals and manners so that
if it should ever be our pleasure to
mingle with the angels, we should
find the most happy and enjoyable
society. Let us learn to treat one
another with kindness and courtesy,
and let the young cultivate the fear
of God. I tell you what I used to
do when quite a young boy. I
made it a practice to go and call
upon the Lord ; it was before there
was any "Mormonism." And many
scores times have I gone into fields*
behind the bushes, and also into hay
lofts to call upon God to guide me^
and keep me from evil and to lead
me in the paths of righteousness.
Did I feel happy ? Yes, for I had
a portion of the Spirit of God with
me. How much better in this re-
spect it is for our youth. I had
parents who feared God, but they,
any more than any one else, did not
know anything at all about the true
plan of salvation, for it had not been
revealed. I used to go to the
Church of England ; and many of
you present used to go too ; and we
used to say that we were all " misera-
ble sinners." We also confessed
every Sunday that we had "done-
the things we ought not to have
done, and left undone the things
which we ought to have done."
This was all very true. The teach-
SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES, ETC.
211>
ers themselves did not know any
better, neither did we. But I used
to take pleasure in calling upon
the Lord to lead me in the right
way. I did not have the helps that
you have. You have the benefit of
your Mutual Improvement Societies.
Attend them, and seek to cultivate
intelligence ef every kind ; and
above all, reverence and lespect
your parents, they who have watched
over you and takea cai*e of you, they
who have educated you and fed and
clothed you and felt an interest in
your welfare.
And in regard to all of our opera-
tions, brethren and sisters, let us
ever try to do right, and let us try
to invent something whereby we
can be self-sustaining; let us pur-
chase from our own people, and
above all let us try to make our own
goods and supply our own wants
and necessities. Let us try and
carry these principles out, for they
are true and correct. And if there
is anything good and praise-worthy,
let us seek after it ; and shun every-
thing that tends to misery, degrada-
tion and death.
God bless you, and lead you in the
paths of life. Amen.
220
.JOUKNJ(L OF DISGOUK&KS.
DISCOUKSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
Deliyeb^d In The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Aftebnoon,
August 8th, I88a
(Reported by John Irvine,)
THE inspiration OF THE LORD S SERVANTS — REVELATION — ^THE RESUR-
RECTION, ETC.
Having been called npon this
afternoon to address this congrega-
tion, I rise before you trusting that
the Holy Spirit, which makes plain
to the human mind the things of
God, may rest upon me and upon
you ; that I may be inspired by that
Spirit to say something which will
be of profit to those who hear, and
that those who listen to what I may
say may be able to understand in
the same light and under the same
influence as that by which the words
are apoken.
The elders of this Church, in min-
istering as public speakers, stand
before the people in the name of the
Lord. They do not address congre-
gations for the purpose of ventilating
the opinions and ideas which they
may entertain, but they occupy the
position of ministers of the Lord
Jesus Christ, to speak that which is
given to them by the influence of
the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the
servants of Qod are instructed to
"treasure up in their hearts continu-
ally the words of life," with the pro-
mise that if they do this and are
diligent in seeking for the mind and
will of God, in the very hour that
they are needed words shall be placed
in their mouths, or ideas be brought
up in their minds, which shall be for
the benefit of all who hear. It is in
this Spirit that I endeavor to address
the congregation this afternoon, and
I hope I shall have not only your
attention, but the benefit of your
faith and prayers, that the Spirit of
God may rest upon me and the con-
gregation also.
We are living upon the earth at a
time when there are a great many
creeds— a great many different doc-
trines, each professing to be the true
faith — the Christian religion. There
is a spirit of doubt and division in
the world. Men are ever learning
but not able to come to a knowledge
of the truth. They indulge in a
great many speculations. ' Some
good people study the Scriptures and
endeavor to find out what is divine
truth, but their ideas are various ;
they do not come to the unity of the
faith ; and the great reason why this
is so is because they do not seek to
the fountain of light and truth with
the expectation of receiving any re-
ply. In olden times God used to
speak to the people. He had ser-
THE INSPIRATION, BTa
221
vants upon the earth who spoke as
they were moved upon by the Holy
Ghost ; angels ministered to the sons
of men, and truth was revealed in
great plainness from the Father. But
in these times ^ople have to put up
with the ideas and notions that men
hold in relation to these truths which
were anciently revealed. There is
now no voice from heaven, no pro
pbet among the people ; there are
no inspired apostles ; angels have
ceased to minister, and to use the
words of one of the great divines of
the day, " The awful voice of pro-
phecy is silenced forever."
Of course in making use of these
remarks I am speaking in relation to
what is called the Christian world.
The Latter-day Saints believe that
God is the same yesterday, to-day
and forever, and that if he is sought
after to-day in the same way that he
was sought after yesterday, he will
answer in the same manner. We
believe that it is just as possible for
angels to come to earth in these
times as in any former age of the
world ; we believe that the power of
the Holy Ghost is the same to-day
as it wafi thousands of years ago ;
t^at divine truth can be made man-
ifest direot from God to the people
now as it was in the days of Jesus,
or in the days of the prophets who
preceded him on the earth.
The religion we Latter-day Saints
have received — ^which we hold to,
which we live for, and which a great
many of us are willing to die for, if
necessary — has come to us by reve-
lation from God in the day and age
in which we live. In taking up the
writings of the old prophets, in read-
ing the letters written by the ancient
apostles, we find that the religion
whidi God has revealed to us, is ihe
same religion which God revealed to
them. What is contained in the
Bible GOiPobontes that whi<^ we
have received, and the spirit which
accompanies the preaching of the
word to us, is similar in its effects to
that spirit which accompanied the
preaching of the ancient prophets
and apostles of the Lord. We find
tills out by reading that portion of
their records which has been left.
So that the religion of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
not a mere theory of men. The doc-
trines • which we have received have
come to us direct from the Lord in
our own time. We are not left to
speculation, we are not left to our
own t^ieohes, but we have defined
principles given to us of God for our
guidance, for our comfort and for our
edification.
Now, there is a disposition exist-
ing in the world to-day to go away
from the Lord. Men seem to have
a desire to follow out their own im-
aginations, their own ideas and no-
tions, and in consequence of this a
great many wrong principles have
been received for truth in the Chris-
tian world, and this disposition seems
to increase. The Apostle Paul, in
writing to the Saints in his day, ad-
vised them to "beware lest any man
spoil 3^u through philosophy and
vain deceit, after the tradition of
man, after the rudiments of the
world and not after Christ." Now,
that same advice is good for the
people in our times ; good for the
Latter-day Saints ; good for the peo-
ple who compose the various sects of
modern Christendom. If we have
received the doctrines of Christ, if
our feet are planted firmly upon the
rock which he has laid, there is no
fear of our going astray ; but if we
depart from that and walk in
the ways of men, and are led by
their theories and their speculati0ns
and their vain philosophy, we are
very likely to go astray.
I notice in reading some of the
222
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
works of modern divines, and noting
the progress of religious thought
among the people, that there is a
doctrine which is becoming very
widespread among the people called
** Christians," that is, a heresy in re-
gard to the doctrme of our condition
in the future. It is believed by a
great many people at the present
time, that there is no such thing as
a literal resurrection of the body ;
that when this body is laid away in
the ground and goes back to the ele-
ments out of which it was organized,
that is the end of the body, and that
it will never come up again. They
do not see any need of a literal resur-
rection of the body; they cannot
perceive by what process it can be
resuscitated ; and not being able to
comprehend how this great change
can come, how the scattered ele-
ments of the . body can be brought
together again, they reject the doc-
trine altogether. This is the belief
of the people who are called spirit-
ualists or spiritists. This is one of
the doctrines of that great delusion
of the latter times, that "strong
delusion" that the Lord has permit
ted to come into the world because
men would not receive the truth,
but turned away from it and loved a
lie. It is taught by that rapping
and muttering influence, that when
the spirit leaves the body and passes
into another state, that is the resur-
rection ; that the body will be raised
up no more ; that the spirit, libera-
ted from the body, will progress
from sphere to sphere — ^how many
spheres they do not know — ^bnt th^t
there is no. further need of the body.
This idea is increasing in its hold
upon the minds of the people, among
the vaiious "Christian'^ sects, and
some of the greatest preachers and
'divines of tl^ day entertain this
idea, philosopliize wpon it and teach
it to their congzcgations. Now we
have the satisfaction of definite
knowledge in regard to this matter,
as well as all the articles of our
creed — ^if we have such a thing as a
formulated creed. The ideas we
have in relation to' this doctrine
have come from (jod. There is no
need of any doubt about it, no need
for any speculation. The Lord has
revealed something concerning this.
It is true he has not revealed the
philosophy of it in full, he has only
given us some ideas concerning it
But he has made the fact very plain
that there may be no misunderstand-
ing about it. In the Book of Doc-
trine and Covenants— which con-
tains many of the revelations that
God has given to the Church through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, we find
this doctrine laid down in great
plainness. It is stated that the
spirit and the body make up the
soul of man, and that the resurrec-
tion from the dead is the redemption
of the soul. We are taught also
that there are material elements and
spiritual elements ; that the spiritual
part of our being was in the begin-
ning with God, and that the spiri-
tual and material when inseparably
connected receive a fulness of joy,
otherwise m^en cannot receive a ful-
ness of joy. It takes the spiritual
part of man and the material or
physical part joined together insep-
arably to obtain a fulness of joy.
When the spirit is separated from
the body, a fulness of joy cannot be
obtained. When the spirit is joined
to the body temporarily under a
temporal law, under the law of
death, it cannot receive a fulness of
joy. The spirit and the body must
be so joined together that both will
be immortal, and in that condition
man can receive a fulness of joy.
The Book of Mormon is also very
plain iipon this subject I will read
one or two texts from that book, and
THE INSPIRATION, ETC.
223
if I have time I may refer to the
Bible, to show that the things con-
tained in the Book of Mormon and
the Book of Doctnne and Cove-
nants are the same as contained in
the old scriptures. I will read a
passage from the seventy-ninth page
{new edition) of the Book of Mor-
mon, namely :
"And this death of which I have
spoken, which is the spiritual death,
shall deliver up its dead ; which spiri-
tual death is hell ; wherefore death
and hell must deliver up its captive
spirits and the grave must deliver
up its captive bodies, and the bodies
and tlie spirits of men will be restored
one to the other ; and it is by the
power of the resurrection of the
Holy One of Israel.
" Oh how great the plan of our
God ! For on the other hand, the
paradise of God must deliver up the
spirits of the righteous, and the
grave deliver up the body of the
righteous ; and the spirit and body
is restored to itself again, and all
men become incorruptible, and im-
mortal, and they are living souls,
having a perfect knowledge like
unto us in the flesh ; save it be that
our knowledge shall be perfect.
" "NVherefore, we shall have a per-
fect knowledge of all our guilt, and
our uncleanlinress, and our naked-
ness, and the righteous shall have a
perfect knowledge of their enjoy-
ment and their righteousness, being
clothed with purity, yea, even with
the robe of righteousness."
Now, according to the Book of
Mormon, the spirits of men, the
righteous and the wicked, are to be
brought up from the place to which
they shall go when they depart from
this life. There is no need for any
dubiety about this, there is no need
for any mistake ; it is clear that the
separation of the spirit from the
body is not the resurrection spoken
of in this book.
The Prophet Alma, touching on
this subject, explained to the people
in his day what an angel of God
made known to him. These words,
which I am about to read to you
from the Book of Alma, in the Book
of Mormon, are not Alma's ideas
and speculations. He says they
were revealed to him by an angel.
I would advise you to read the 40th
chapter, 352 page, new edition.
Alma states here that he was very
much troubled concerning the doc-
trine of the condition of people after
they passed away from this life.
He wanted to know something of
the condiubn of man between death
and the resurrection, and he says an
angel of God made known to him
that there is a space between death
and the resurrection, that the spirits
of the wicked are in a state of un-
rest, having a knowledge of all their
wickedness, and a remembrance of
all their transgressions ; that they
are in a state of fear, looking for the
wrath and indignaaion of God, not
knowing what their punishment
will be ; while on the other hand,
the spirits of the righteous enter
into a state of rest. They have a
perfect knowledge of all that Otod
has done for. them, and all their
acts of righteousness, and they await
in peace for the time when their
bodies shall be brought forth from
the dust to stand in the presence of
their God to receive their crown.
Alma then goes on to say :
** But this much 1 say, that there
is a space between death and the
resurrection of the body, and a state
of the soul in happiness or in
misery, until the time which is ap-
pointed of God that the dead shall
come forth, and be re-united, both
soul and body, and be brought to
stand before God, and be judged
224
JOURNAL 07 DISCOURSES.
according to their works. * *
" The soul shall be restored to the
body and -the body to the soul ; yea,
and every limb and joint shall be
restored to its body ; yea, even a
hair of the head shall not be lost ;
but all things shall be restored to
their proper and perfect frame."
Now, that is clear and distinct on
this point. In regard to the times
and seasons of this resurrection,
about which Alma speaks, he said
he did not know, but those things
he did know were made known to
him by an angel, namely, that there
is a space between death and the
resuiTection ; that at the resurrec-
tion the body and the spirit shall be
brought up and restored to each
other, and not only the body and
spirit, but every part and particle
belonging to the body ; not a hair of
the head shall be lost ; every joint
and muscle and fibre and sinew,
and every part and particle neces-
sary to make up a perfect physical
body for the spirit to dwell in, shall
be restored to that spirit in the re-
surrection. That is the doctrine
laid down by the Prophet Alma, as
taught to him by an angel.
The very meaning of the word
"resurrection" ought to dispel the
idea that the separation of the spirit
from the body at death is resurrec-
tion. The word it§elf means, "I
stand np again." The idea which
all the prophets and apostles of old
had was that at some future time
the voice of God should be uttered,
and the dead should stand up agdn,
their bodies should come from the
grave; just exactly the doctrine laid
down in the Book of Mormon and
Book of Doctrine and Covenants.
Some have an idea that the people
who lived upon the earth before
Jesus, had no correct ideas in regard
to the future. I have seen such
statements published by popular
divines of the day ; but when we
come to take up the Old Testament
Scriptures, we find that the writers,
holy men of God, who wrote as
they were moved upon by the Holy
Ghost, had a distinct and unwaver-
ing faith in resard to this same doc-
trine, that of the resurrection of the
body.
The book of Job is said to be the
most ancient book of the Bible. I
will read a verse or two from the 7th
chapter. In the 9th verse we read:
"As the cloud is consumed and
vanisheth away : so he that goeth
down to the grave shall come up no
more." Now, that is a very plain
statement ^f Job's, that when a man
goes down to the grave he shall not
return. Those who believe in the
vain philosophy that I have re-
ferred to, take a great deal of com-
fort in quoting that passage, and
also some sayings of Solomon, the
wise man ; that is, he was a wise
man once, but he became a foolish
man before he died, not because he
married more wives than one, but
because he transgressed by marry-
ing strange wives. Solomon, in
some of his writings, speaks in the
same way as Job. But I will read a
verse from the 14th chapter of Job :
" As the waters fall from the sea,
and the flood decayeth and dryeth
up ; so man lieth down and riseth
not."
This also is a very plain statement^
is it not? But Job did not stop
here as he did in the 7th chapter,
for he continues,
"Till the heavens be no more,
they shall not awake, nor be raised
out of their sleep. that thou
wouldst hide me in the grave, that
thou wouldest keep me secret until
the wrath be passed, that thou
wouldest appoint a set time, and re-
member ! If a man die shall he live
again? all the days of my appointed
THB IN8FIRATI0K, ETC.
time will I w»it till tny change come. I
Thou shalt call and I will answer
thee : thou wilt have a desire to the
work of thine hands.*^ Chapter xiv,
12-16.
Eead again in the 19th chapter,
where he is a little more explicit,
commencing at the 23rd verse :
"Oh that my words were now
written ! Oh that they were printed
in a book. That they were graven
with an iron pen and lead m the
rock forever ! For I know that my
redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the
earth. And though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall I see Gk>d.''
Now, in the first place. Job is
speaking in regard to what we all
seek in this world, in regard to the
common lot of mortals. '^Man
lieth down and riseth not" In
saying that Job had no reference to
what would take place in the future.
He was speaking of the common
experience of mankind. But after-
wu*d, inspired by the spirit of pro-
phecy, he looked right down to the
latter days, in the midst of his
afflictions, his trouble and sorrow,
Us pain of bod^ and anguish of
mmd, when his fiends' were turned
against him — he looked down to the
latter days and wished that his
words were writtetn and printed in a
book, that the yr&tdn were graven in
the rock with an iron pen aud lead
put into them, that they might
stand as a witness to all future gene-
rations, as a testimony^ to the resur-
tection of the body and a rebuke to
to the vain philosophy of the latter
tifiaes.
I will now read' avterse or two
£bin the book ofther Prophet Isaiah,'
t^ehow that'others of the ancients;
besidfH Job, had ' some idea of the
doetritie of* the reMnwdon of the
Md. In the iOtli,' 20tfft and 21st
No. 15.
verses of. the 26idi chapter of Isaiah'
we read ;
^'Tky dead men shall live, to-
gether with my dead body shall they ^
arise. Awake and sing, ye that*
dwell in dust : for thy dew is as th6-
dew of herbs, and the earth shaJl
cast out the dead.
Come, my people, enter thou into
thy chambers, and shut thy doors'
about thee : hide thyself as it were''
for a little moment, until the indig-
nation be overpast.
For, behold, the Lord cometh out
of his place to punish the inhabi-
tants of the earth for their iniquity :
the earth also shall disclose her olood'
and shall no more cover her slain.**
Isaiah, you see, had the same spirit
as Job. He spoke about the timm
when the indignation or wrath of
Qod should pass over the earth, and
he wished to be biddea in the grave
until that time was over, and then,
he expected the earth to cast out
her d^.
I have not time to read the 37tli
chapter of Ezekiel — ^you can read it
at home-^but in that chapter we
find that the Lord showed Ezekiel'
a* valley full of diybones. The Lord'
asked him whether these bones cotticb
live, atid heanswiBrefl, "Thouknow-^
est" Then the Lord told him td
propheay upon these' boneEl, and ai'
he pnpheaed, there was a noise,'
and behold a sfaaldng^ and the bonefar
came together, bone to his bone, the^
sinews and the flesh caime upon thcifn,
and th# ddn covered them abc^p
but there was' no breath' ini^hemi
Then' the Loird again told themtoi'
prophesy, and^ he paropUeffled as aaaii
manded, and thb breath camlfi into
theid^'azid tiiey livvd and stood uptef
their feet^anlibcceediiiff.gnto^^ armyt'
N6w^ we haiwuo' need 't6* redd ^
wiitingst of thedivineir of thH.pii^sefitf
iimb & find out' whatrltfaiB mding
Vol XXI. "
22&
JOURNAL OY DISOOITRSBR*
Bight in the same chapter is given
the interpretation.
" These bones are the whole house
of Israel : behold, they say, Our
bones are dried and our hope is lost;
we are cut ofif for our parts. There-
fore prophesy and say unto them :
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O
ijay people, I will open your graves,
and cause you to come up out of
your graves, and bring you into the
Land of Israel. * * And shall
put my spirit in you, and ye shall
live ; and I will place you in your
own land. Then ye shall know that
r the Lord have spoken it, and per-
formed it, saith the Lord."
Now, by these testimonies that I
have quoted from the Old Testament
scriptures, we find that the people
#ho lived on the earth before the
days of Jesus had some knowledge
in regard to the future, in regard to
the condition of the spirit when it
left the body, and also in regard to
the resurrection of the body. The
wise man Solomon in the Book of
Ecclesiastes 12th chapter and 7th
verse, speaking in regard to death,
after giving a very poetical descrip-
tion of the house we live in, says :
Thed shall the dust return to the
earth as it was : and the spirit shall
return unto God who gave it." He
had some idea in regard 'to life after
death, although if we read some of
his writings we might gain the idea
that man ended whim his body was
laid down in the grate.
Now, these doctrines, which wore
Httderstood by the people bafcire the
dajTS of Christ are the same as be-
lieved in by the disoifdies of Jesus,
the same as Jesus tad^t. We will
take, for instance, Jesus' own decla-
ifttion in regard to the resiinectbn,
m which he says ; ^' Marvel not at
this ; for the hour is coming, in the
irhich all that are in their graves,
lihall hoar his v»iee. .And shall
come forth ; they that have doiie good
unto the resurrection of life ; and
they that have done evil unto the
resurrection of damnation." Or as
it reads in the Prophet Joseph
Smith's version, "they that have
done good in the resurrection of the
just, and they that have done evil
in the resurrection of the unjust"
Now, according to Christ's own
statement to his disciples, aU that
are in their graves are to come forth,
both the righteous and the wicked,
just as it is taught in the Book of
Mormon. This is also in accordance
with what the Prophet Daniel —
another of those ancients who under-
stood this doctrine — says in the 12th
chapter of his book. He speaks of
Michael and the great trouble that
shall come upon the earth in the
latter days and says : " And many
of them that sleep in the dnst of
the earth shall awfdce, some to ever-
lasting life, and some to ^hame and
everlasting contempt," Daniel
underotood that there wae to be a
resurrection both of the just and the
unjust. Now take the 20th chapter
of the Book of Eevelations, read it^
and you will find the resurrection
portrayed to John by vision when he
was on the Isle of Patmos. He says :
" And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given
unto them, and I saw the souls of
them tlntt w«»re Mieaded for the
witness of Jesus, and for the word
•f God, and which had not wor-
shipped the bisast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands ;
and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years. But the
re»t of the dead lived not again until
the thousand years were finished.
This is the firat resurreotion. Bias-
sed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection : on such the
second deaith hath no power, bit
THE INSPIRATION, XTC.
227
they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years."
And after the thousand years pass-
ed away, John saw in the vision the
rtst of the dead brought forth. "The
sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up
the dead which were in them : and
they were judged; every man accord-
ing to their works."
The Apostle Paul in writing to
the Philippians, 3d chap., 20-21 v.
says: "Our conversation in his hea-
ven, from whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ :
who shall chahge our vile body, that
It may be fashioned like unto this
glorious body." Now, according to
thi» testimony, the righteous, who
look for a part in the first resurrec-
tion, expect to have bodies like the
glorious body of the Son of God.
What kind of a body was thati We
read that Jesus Christ was put to
death upon the eross ; that when he
had cried with a loud voice, he said
** Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit," and then gave up the
^host. The body was placed
in a new tomb in which no man
had lain, and to guard the body, lest
somebody should come and take it
away, Roman soldiers were placed
before the door ofihe tomborsepul-
<chre. But we read that two angels
came, before whom these Boman
soldiers fell as dead, and they (the
angels) rolled away the stone from
the tomb and the sleeping body of
Jesus awakened and came forth.
When the disciples arrived the body
▼as gone. Mary went into the gar-
den to try and find out something
cbncermng the body, and while she
was weeping Jesus appeared unto
her. She sprang forward and was
4bout to embrace him when he said,
Touch me not; for I am not yet
ascended to my Father: but go to my
brethren and say unto them I ascend
unto my Father and your Father,
and to my Grod and to your God.*
When the disciples were informed
of this they could not believe it, and
they met together on a certain oe-
casion, and when the doors were
shut, for fear of the Jews, and they
found they were securely alone, they
began to talk about the wonderfiu
things that had transpired; about
the death of Jesus, the cruci&don of
one whom they thought was to take
the throne and sit upon it in power
forever. And we read that while
they were talking Jesus appeared in
their midst and said, "peace be unto
you."
*'But they were terrified and af-
frighted, and supposed that they
had seen a spirit. And he said un-
to them, why are ye troubled] and
why do thoughts arise in your hearts.
Behold my hands and my feet, that
it is I myself: handle me and see;
for a spirit hat not flesh and bones
as ye see me have. * * *
And while they yet believed not
for joy and wondered, he said unto
them, have ye here any meat ) And
they gave him a piece of a broiled
fish and of an honeycomb. And he
took it and did eat before them.
Luke xxiv 36-43.
Now, here was a resurrection of
thie body. Not the raising of Christ's
spirit, but his body out of the tomb.
In that body he appeared before the
disciples, and when they thought it
was merely a spirit, he told them
that a spirit had not flesh and bonet
as they saw him have. The disciple«
who had this manifestation told
some of the rest. Thomas, however,
would not believe it He said, "Ex-
cept I shall see in his hands tba
print of the hails, and put my fingev
into the print of the nails, and
thrust my hand into his side, I wiB
not believei" Afiec making use #f
SS8
JOURNAL 0!r^ DtSCJOtJKSldS.
these fpbUsfa reknarkd^ Jesus appeared
Jtf THomas' when he was assetn-
ibteVt With the other disciples, atid he
saH unto Thomas, "Reach hither
thy fliger and hehoWmy^hand^j and
r^ch hither thy hand arid thrust it
iiito my side : and be not faithless
but believing." Thomaas cotild not
help believing then, but Jesus said
unto him, "Thomas, because thou
hast seen me, thou has believed :
blessed are they that have not seen
and yet have believed." Faith is a
great blessing. Some people will not
believe anything they cannot grasp
with their human reason or cannot
feee with their natural eyes. But
blessed is the man of faith, blessed
is the woman of faith ! For by faith
they can see into things that cannot
b6 discerned by the natural eyes.
They can reach out to the regions of
immortality, grasp eternal realities
and lay hold upon the things of God!
Now, Jesus appeared in the same
body that was placed in the tomb,
and yet it was not the same, there
was a change in it. What change
Was it) We read that Jesus Christ
shed his blood '^ for the remission of
sins; not for ours only, but for the
sins of the whole world.'' Jesus wa^
raised up from the dead by the
power of God, and says Paul, "If the
spirit of him that raised up Jesus
from the dead dwell in you, he that
raUied up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by his spirit that dwelleth in you."
Paul also says "Flesh and blood can-
not inherit the kingdom of God."
Plood is corruptible, the blood-
quickened body is subject to the law
of death. But Christ s body when
it was raised from the desld was
**quickened by the spirit" There was
a great deal of difference not only in
Inspect but in others. Y/nen
le disciples were shut up in that
iSottm' Christ wtoable td enter it
without opening the door, whicli
could not be done by mortals. H^
had power to manifest himself to
his discipfles. and he had powef to-
cover hittiself front their gaizei H§
had power to overcome the laws of
gravity, and on a certain occasion,
after he had visited his disciples,
had appeared to 500 brethren at once,
had given instructions to his apostles
to build up his church, as he spoke
to them "a cloud received him out
of their sight." He was able to lift
himself up from the earth and de-
part from this sphere to another;
his body was no longer a mortal
body, no longer governed by the
same laws as those by which we are
governed. We are also told that
"While they looked stedfastly to-
ward heaven as he went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white
apparel; which also said. Ye men of
Gjuilee why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is
taken up from >ou into heaven,,
shall so come in like manner as y&
have seen him go to heaven — Act
i, 9-11." When he shall come again
he shall come in the same body, and
we are told in the 14th chapter of
Zachariah that his feet shall stand
in that day upon the Mount of Olives,
and in the 13th chapter that
when the Jews behold him^
the Messiah, whom they hav^
expected so long, they will say
'*What are these wounds in thin¥
hands." Then he shall answCTi'
'Those with which I was wounded
in the house of my friends." An4
then every family wiU mouril apart^
the whole house of Israel win
mourn because of the wickedness df
their forefathers- in 'putting him tS
death. In receiving hina at his 8e<^
ond coming they will compreherifl
the truth of his first ' coming, anlf
not before; ».td thej^ ^i\X ' wdcoite
him as the ^esuft^ected-'Chfifet*
T«p ,;nspjeation, btc.
229
. Now, ihe ^po?tle Paul sftys that
<*$e sh^ll.9}iagg9iOi^r vile bo^y, , that
it;^nvay J;^e f^Timne^ ^ikje .)^to his
glorious l|>,Qdy." whfit kind pf bodies
wfll the righteous possess in the re-
fiurrectionT They are to be bodies of
flesh and bones quickened by spirit;
not quickened by blood, no longer
subjeqt to death, pain, or any pf the
ills of mortality. This does not
look much as if the separation of
the spirit from the body is resurrec-
tion, Such a doctrine as that is not
according to the scriptures, it is only
".vain philosophy."
Latter-day Saints, beware of this
vain philosophy which would rob
you of your faith in the resurrection
Ihat is to come. 0, what a glorious
hope it brings ! Husbands who
mourn the loss of their wives, whom
they loved and whom they have
placed away in the tomb, shall re-
<5eive them again in the resurrection.
What a glorious meeting, that is, if
they have been sealed by the holy
order of God. Whatever is thus
fiealed to them on earth is sealed in
heaven. Husbands and wives, those
fiealed and united according to the
holy order of celestial marriage, will
be joined again in the resurrection.
They will come forth out of the
tomb and their bodies will be quick-
ened by the power of the Holy Spirit,
and made gloiious like unto the body
.of the Son of God. They will be
re-united as man and wife for-
ever, and of their increase and of
the extent of their dominion and
glory, power and might and majesty,
there shall be no end ! Mothers who
f ut away the bodies of their little
ones in the ground in deep sorrow
and lamentation shall receive their
'{babes again to their bosoms. As
they were laid down in the grave, so
i)^, they come forth again in the
^saime stature, the same likeness, no-
thing shall be lost, not even a hair of
their heads, but th^y qhall be quif^e^-
ed after the poy^rei: of an^n^le^s^liJjP*
Ti^e Apostle Pai^l iljustra^jes ,t)t^^.-4p
the .IS.th chapter olf "Ist Coiir^tli^iM?,^.
He s^s : *Ht is sown in oorr\iptio;(]^ ;
it is raised in incorruption : it is soura
in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is
sown in weakness; it is raised, in
power: ^t is sown a naturaj body;. it
is raised a spiritual body. There is
a natural bodv ; and there is a spir-
itual body." "When wheat is planted
in the ground, the seed seems to die.
It is said that in the midst of life we
are in death. But in the midst ^of
death there is life. There is a nucleus
of life that is imperishable. There is
a germ within that little kernel of
wheat that seems to perish and die,
that is also indestructible, and so
with the body planted in the
ground. What is raised, Paul 1 Is
It the spirit raised out of the bod3r1
No; it is the resurrection of the bQ4y*
That was the testimony the apos-
tles bore. Their chief testimpny
was that Jesus was crucified upon
the cross, and that he was raised up
from the dead.
But, says one, I cannot see any
good of it. What is the use of thi^
old body after it goes to the ground
and mingles with the du^tl
What is the use of taking the
trouble to bripg it up again 1
How is it possible? In regard to the
possibility, there are a great many
things possible with God that are
impossible with man. A few years
ago it was not thought possible fpr a
man to stand in New York and talk
to another in London, but it is done,
it is possible, and many things are
done now that were not thought of
years ago. Supposing a person wh^
knows nothing about the properties?
of the magnet were to visit some of
the big factories in England, .h^
would see in miany of them large
quantities of brass and steel filiog?
230
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
all mixed together. I have been in
gach works and seen that the pro-
prietors are very careful to allow
nothing to go to waste. They sweep
tip aU these filisgs and put them in
barrels or other receptacles, and by
and by some one comes along with
a large magnet and digs it into the
mass of mixed filings, and when it is
withdrawn it is seen to be covered
with particles of steel or iron. This
is repeated over and over again until
aU the steel is separated from the
brass. Bnt a person who had no
knowledge of the magnet would
naturaUy think, on seeing these par-
ticles all mixed together, that it
would be impossible to separate
them. Now, do you not think that
God has more power than man.
That he has "magnets" vrith pro-
perties beyond our present ken ] I
think he has. I think if God desires
to bring the particles of the human
body together, he understanding
their composition, can easily do so.
In the beginning he spake to chaos,
and by the power of his faith the
worlds were formed. Faith is a
force. It is as much a force as mag-
netism or electricity. It is the
power by which the universe was
framed. God can speak to the ele-
ments of our bodies and bring them
forth again according to certain
fixed laws known to him if not to
us. Jesus spoke to the winds and
they obeyed him. He walked upon
the water. Out of five loaves and
two fishes he made a great feast,
" And they took up twelve baskets
full of the fragments, and of the
fishes. And they that did eat of
the loaves were about five thousand
men." All this was done upon natu-
ral principles, and we would be able
to comprehend this if we understood
natural principles thoroughly. And
I have no doubt in my own mind,
that when the resurrection shall
come, when God shall speak, and w^
shall answer, it will be just as natu-
ral to bring up our bodies in the
morning of the Resurrection as it was
for us to lay them down. Why, we
do not understand how it is that
they crumble away. Can you ex-
plain the death process, when an
individual is taken hold of by som»
mysterious power, and the life goes
out of him ) There is no brightness
to the eye, no beauty on the cheek,
no motion to the lip, all is quiet,
cold and lifeless. The body is
placed away in the ground and the
particles begin to separate, when,
but a little while before there was
something that caused all the par-
ticles of that body to cling together.
A change has come, and they all
want to get away from each other.
What is the process and who under-
stands it ? There are a great many
things we do not understand. This
afternoon we are whirling in space
at an immense velocity. The earth
is revolving upon its own axis and
traveling around the sun. How is
it done 1 " By the operation of cer-
tain forces" But how did these
forces come into operation^ what did
they spring from, how are they regur
latedl Who knows 1 Who under-
stands the process of sleeping and
waking up again 7 Here is a thing
that takes place every night We
go to sleep. How do we go to sleep t
I do not know. Sometimes I try to
go to sleep and cannot, and again I
try to keep awake and cannot.
Sleep is in the likeness of death, and
waking up is in the likeness of
the resurrection. I do not know
how it is done, only that it is done
by the power of God. It will be as
Job says, God will call and we wiQ
answer. The glorious frame of man,
the most beautiful piece of God's
workmanship, so "fearfully and
wonderfully made," will come forth
THS INSPIRATION, SXa
2»1
in its full perfection and endure
throughout idl the ages of eternity.
"Well, what is the good of itf I
think that paesage in the Book of
Doctrine and covenants explains it
clearly. The Lord through the
Prophet Joseph Smith said uiat the
spirit and the body of man must be
inseparably connected before a full-
ness of joy can be obtained. Man
must be raised up in an immortal
body which cannot be grasped by
the hand of death. The unembodied
or disembodied spirit cannot receive
the joys that come through the
grosser elements. Spirit ministereth
to spirit Spiritual things have af-
finity for that which is spiritual.
There are pleasures which can only
flow through the medium of a ma-
terial body, and hence the necessity
of the resurrection. A perfect be-
ing is an inmiortal spirit dwelling in
an immortal body, and by affinity
with all things, and heaven the key
to the heights and depths and
breadths of the universe, is able to
draw from every source the joy and
bliss and pleasures and glories, that
are the heritage of the celestial ones
who are filled with the fullness of
the eternal God. I am afraid that
those vain philosophers who do not
want any more to do with the body
after death, will find themselves in
the same condition as those who are
spoken of in the vision of Ezekiel to
which I have referred. The Lord
declared of them "Behold they say.
Our bones are dried our hope is lost,
we are cut off for our parts."
There is a great deal in the revela-
tions that God has given to the pro-
phet Joseph that may not be plain
to our minds at the first glanOi.
Therefore^ I would advise my
brethreu and sisters to read, mark,
learn, and inwardly digest the
things that God has placed on re-
cord for oar guidance, and let us
place our tmst in them rather than
upon the vain philosophy and fooi-
isnness oif men who ^nk they ate
great scientists, and imagine that they
can reason out the things of God.
Man, by searching, cannot find out
Ood) but He reveals them to the
faithful by his spirit which "search-
eth all things, yea the deep things
of G«d." And if we will take for
our guide the laws and precepts Grod
has given ; take the Bible, the Book
of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine
and Covenants, which all run to-
gether like three globules of water,
and are like the three measures of
meal in the parable, and seek to
Grod Almighty for the gift and pow-
er of the Holy Ghost, that it may be
a lamp to our feet and a light to our
path, then we will have manifested
unto us those things that are neces-
sary for us to understand. God has
set in the Church in these days, as
he did in olden times, apostles, pro-
phets, evangelists, pastors, teachers,
etc.,- for the work of the ministry
and for the perfecting of the Saints,
and if we are guided by the living
oracles of the Church, and the pow-
er of the Holy Ghost and the sacred
books, we will not go astray, but if
weare guided b^ the vain philosophy
of uninspired men we are almost
sure to get upon the wrong path.
This is the point which I
desired to make plain this
afternoon — ^the glorious doctritie
of the resurrection of the body, one
of the main doctrines of the Chris-
tian religion. It all hinges on that;
for if Christ is not risen, then is our
hope vain. Christ died and was
raised again. So shall we die — ^per-
haps not all of us will sleep in the
earth, for some are to remain and be
alive at his coming — ^bnt we shall aD
be raised, and those who dwell upob
the earth when the Lord appears
shall be changed in the twinkling «f
JOUBHAL or .BI8009B8KS.
.jn eye. The tmmpet Bhill sound
and die dead shall awake, and with
iliose who aie living shall be caught
up to meet the Lord. Perhaps this
.inay be the lot of some in tins oon-
gr^ation this afternoon. The day
'<^ the Lord is nigh at hand. Behold
•he cconeth, as the pn^hets have de-
dared! Not as the k»be of Bethle-
hem, but as the Lord of power and
fi^oiy, as the resarrectdon and the
Bfe! £very word which has been
apoken concerning him will be ful-
filled. Christ will i^pear and he
will call the righteous to himself
They will come forth in the morn-
ing of that great '* day of the Lord,
that bright and beautifiil momiBg
when the Sun of li^iteonsness shall
arise with healing in his wings, and
the lambent rays ot his legS. glorjr
shall warm the righteous dead to
life. But wo unto them that know
not God and obey not Hie Oospd,
for th^ shall be banished fix>m the
presence of the Lord, and until the
millennial day is over they cannot
come forth in their bodies to receive
their portion.
May Crod help us to walk in his
ways and keep his commandments,
that we may have a rig^t to a part
in the first resurrection, is my prayer
in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
DISCOUBSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
IN The Taesbnaci^ Salt Laks Grrr, Sunday Ajtcbbnoon,
August 8th, 188a
(Bepofied by John Irvine.)
JEAN TO BE JUDGED BY LAW — ^A LAW GIVEN TO ALL THINGS — ^THB LAW
OF GRAVITATION — ^HOW IT VARIES BY DISTANCE — ^LAW OF PROJEC-
TION — ^LAW OF ELLIFTLC FORMS, HAVING THE SAME LENGTH OF YEAR
— ^LAW OF ORBITAL VELOCITY — ^TTS VARIATIONS DEPENDING ON DIS-
TANCE — ^WISB ADAFTATION^INTELLIGENT SELECTIONS OF LAW — LAWS
OF NATURE COUNTERACTED.
What we have heard from this
4tand, thia afternoon, as well as on
Ibnner occasions, we must meet
jmin in the great judgment day.
aff e have quite a number of scribes
Ht the tahle^ who are writing down
j anything that is said. These are
not, however, the only scribes.
There are others behind the Yai],who
take down the discourses of the ser-
vants of €rod; they are recorded
there; and the hooka will be opened
MAN too Mi '^i^PlGfD f^ UkW, STG.
mfi
at ^me fiiture* tjpue. ^jAJUl^i^.:v^;^rx^-
.^)g8 that havafbi^ giv^A ^ fc)vd
Jfatt«r-d%y Saint/a, a^.^o t^e, world,
jpl j^ain come i^, iiir^owQ^P^
tune of the Lord, ^^qgmant; and
;it will be required of us to^'Onderan
,accpunt, whether we h^iTe \»^n
obedient to those warnings, or
.whether we have been di^bedicnt.
The Lord is a consistent Being in
all his doings. He will not condemn
the children of men, for not re-
ceiving something that they were
ignorant of; but, if they are con-
demned at all, it will be for reject-
ing something that they have un-
derstood, or something that they
might have uderstood, bad the;y
improved the opportunity. They
will be judged according to law, ac-
cording to testimony, and according
to that which is written in the
sacred books. The records of heaven
T^ill be op^ied. The records,, kept
by divine authority on the earth,
mW also be opened. The evidences
and testimonies vill be ,set forth;
and every anan and every woman,
who is condemned, in the great judg-
ment day, will be condemned accord-
ing to law, according to testimony,
according to evidence, according to
the light that has been given, ac-
cording to the deeds done iyi the
body.
The Lord is a Being who has given
laws unto all things; and he adapted
these laws, according to the condi-
tion and circumstiances of all things.
•All agents, free ageats, wlio
have light and knowledge to
know how to act, ,how to
discern good from evil, will be judg-
ed according to one law. They are
not compelled to obey the law which
•tl;iey hear, but they can act accord-
ing to their agency, either in obey-
iag or disobeying, receiving the
blessings of obedience or the fruits
of disobedience. The Lord has giv-
.^n ft great ipiiny,l^wB, beside tl^^
.which ;he has givoA to free ^g^j^y
or. to intQlIigi^t beings ; b|ut ,^1^
di^er m their nature, a^qcprd^n^fjl^
the condition and cirqutastances of
the inaterialfi to w^ich these l^iws
are ^ven. See a revelation upon the
subject of these laws, which w^
given on the 27th day of Decepibetiip,
1882 (Doc. &. Cov. pp. 305 to 3d0).
This revelation was called, in those
days, the "olive leaf." In this reve-
lation, the Lord infoisns us that "he
hath given a law unto all things by
which they move in their times and
their seasons." These laws which
are given to the materials of nature,
are generally obeyed. There does
not seem to be any agency on the
part of these materials, so far as
we naturally comprehend it ; at
least, if there is an agency, it seems
to be very obedient instead
of disobedient Hence, whjBn
he issues forth a law to govern the
materials of creation the law seema
to be obeyed; at least do not know
of any disobedience. It would al-
most seem as though these mater-
ials act under compulsion, and are
really obliged to act as they do. Yet
there are some sayings in this same
revelation, which seem to indicate
that there is a degree of intelligence
even in these materials. We ^ad
that "the earth abideth a law of a
celestial kingdom, for it fiUeth. the
measure of its creation, and trans-
gresseth not the law." Thi3 would
seem to indicate that there is some-
thing connected with, the earth
itself> wherein it has an agency; and
that because of the ^erciae pii^
agency, and keeping the law, it
should be croivned with celestial
glory. The materials out of which
our earth is formed, are also govern-
ed by law. Not only t^he earth
as an organised wodd, l^i^
the very n^teiiaU tbemselvcis,
334
JOURNAL OF DI800UR8XS.
are governed by laws. These
laws were givea of God ; and when
we search into the laws, not of na-
ture merely, but the laws of God,
aind the more we comprehend the
laws by which materials are govern-
ed, the more we understand the
laws of God and his operations in the
universe.
The earth seems to take one con-
tinued course. It has an orbit. It
does not deviate from this orbit, un-
less acted upon by some other
force, which may cause come fluc-
tuations or deviations irom its ap-
parently destined path. Some, in
reflecting upon this might say, that
the earth is obliged to follow this
course. I do not know about this, I
am not so sure. I think if we could
see a little further, we would under-
stand that, connected with the ma-
terials of the earth is a living princi-
ple, a principle too, that acts accord-
ing to certain laws, intelligently, not
blindly; and that our earth, in per-
forming its course, following the
track marked out, does so according
to law, as much as we do when we
go forth and are buried in the wa-
ters of baptism. We go according to
law, and obtain a blessing, so does
the earth, when following the course
marked out for it *'God hath given
a law unto all things, by which
they move in their times and their
seasons.*' We know that all of these
great movements, which we observe
taking place in the universe around
us, are conducted according to cer-
tain laws, which mankind have, in
a few instances, been able to search
out themselves, through the intelli-
gence that God has eiven them. For
mstance, we see a force in exercise,
when we lift up a stone from the
ground, and hold it in our hands; the
moment we let go this stone, it falls
to the earth. What causes it to
falll Philosophers tell yon that "it
falls according to a law of nature.**
But who is this nature that gave
this lawt Why do material booies
falll Why do they not re-
main stationary, suspended in
the air, or in a vacuum t
Why do they have a tendency to
approach the centre of the earths
It is beeause there is a force
which draws them towards such
centre. What is this force? Scien-
tists have called it gravitation ; but
the name does not explain the force.
We are certain that a central force
exists ; and that such force is some-
thing that acts according to a cer-
tain law. Now, if you were to take
a material body, as for instance, a
stone, 4,000 miles above the
surface of the earth and let go of it;
it would only fall one-fourth part. of
the distance, in a second, that it will
fall here, near the surface of the
earth. Why will it not fall with the
same velocity up yonder as here?
Because the law which God has
given in relation to these materials,
varies in its intensity of force, ac-
cording to some law of the distance
from the central force. A body will
fall, near the earth's surface, about
16 feet and one inch, in one second
of time. You take it up 4,000 miles,
and it will fall only ohout four feet
in one second of time. This has
been demonstrated by the action of
the earth upon the moon which is
nearly ^0 times further from the
earth's centre than we are. The moon
only falls toward the eArth about
the eighteenth part of one inch in a
second, which is about 3,600 times
slower than a stone or other bodies
would fall at the earth's surface.
Thus, it will be perceived, that this
gravitating force diminishes in its
intensity according to a fixed law,
depending on the distance from the
centre of the earth. This law was
I discovered by Newton. It is known
MAN TO BE JUDGED BY UlVT, ETC.
235
beyond all controversy that if we go
iroice the distance which we are from
•ur earth's centre, bodies will weigh
two times two less than they weigh
here. If we recede thrice our pre-
sent dictance, bodies will weigh
three times three, or nine times less
than if weighed here. At ten times
the distance, the weight would be
ten times ten less than here. At
sixiy times our distance from the
earth's centre (which is the distance
of our satellite) bodies would weigh
toward the earth, sixty times sixty
less than they weigh here; but sixty
times sixty are thirty-six hundrexl ;
that is, a pound would weigh thirty-
six hundred times less if carried to
the moon's orbit, than here.
In the language of mathematici-
ans, ** the intensity of the gravitat-
ing force varies inversely as the
square of the distance between
gravitating centres." This law is
undoubtedly universal in its opera-
tions, extending to all the visible
universe.
This law, combined with orbital
movements, is necessary to the sta-
bility of worlds revolving in space.
Without it, systems on systems
would soon rush to rain. If any
other law of intensity than the one
which now exists were assumed, ir-
retrievable ruin would soon follow.
Out of the infinity of laws of variable
intensities depending on distances,
the only one has been selected which
alone can impart stability to all sys-
tems in space. Who made this all-
wise selection? Did blind matter
select its own laws? Or did an all-
wise and an all-powerful Being im
part these laws, — ^selecting out of an
mfinity of force intensities, the only
law of variable intensity, which
would render stable the grand ma-
chinery of the universe 1
This curious law some will tell us
is merely a law of materials, that
God had nothing to do with it. But
I dispute it. I say that God is the
Auther of this law ; and were it not
for this infinitely wise provision,
there would not be such a thing as
one particle of matter being drawn
to another; and a stone, when loosen-
ed from the hand, would still remain
where it is set free.
Again we see our world here — the
earth on which we are permitted to
live and have our being, — sweeping
round the great centre of the solar
system, once in 365 days and a frac-
tion of a day : it has continued in this
path, not only through a few centu-
ries, but for thousands of years ; or,
in other words, it has followed this
course according to some undeviating
law. Whatever this law may be
God has ordained it, for he has or-
dained the "law which is given
to all things, by which they move in
their tiipes and their seasons."
This earth does not revolve around
the sun, once a year, in a circular
orbit, but in an oblong, elliptical
orbit. Now, it is just as easy to
cause a body to revolve around the
sun, in an ellipse, a& in a . circle.
For instance, if our Earth, when at
its mean distance from the Sun,
should be projected, with its present
mean velocity, in a line at right
angles to the lines joining the Earth
and Sun — ^it would describe a per-
fect circle around that luminary.
But let the projections deviate from
a right angle, a little less than one
degree, and it will take the very
form of orbit it now has, provided
it is projected with the same mean
velocity that it now has. Again let
this same earth be projected, at its
mean distance from the Sun, in a
line making an angle of 70 degrees,
31 minutes and 44 seconds of an arc,
instead of 90 degrees, as in the in-
stance just named, and the form of
the orbit would be greatly changed :
;836
jQHRrNAJ. OF DKigoy^is^s.
the distance from th^ Sun, when
nearest, would be pnly sixty-one
millions of miles ; ftud in si^ jnonths
^fter, the distance. wpvild be doubled,
that is, one hundred and twenty-
two millions of miles. Under these
•circumstances, the Sun, when near-
est, would appear four times larger
than at its aphelion distance.
You see, then, how easy the
Lord, by deviating the angle of pro-
jection, could cause a gi-eat differ-
ence, in the eccentricity of an elliptic
orbit, without altering the mean dis-
tance or without shortening or
lengthening the year. The year
would remain the same, without any
deviation in its length, if the earth
revolved in an ellipse of the kind
that I have just named. Again, if
you wanted the earth to go so near
the Sun that it would almost graze
its edge, and still retain the length
of our year unchanged, it would not
take our advanced university students
long to determine the angle of pro-
jection the earth should have, so as
^to just graze the edge of the Sun,
at the perihelion distance, and come
i>ack again in an ellipse, which
would be almost equivalent to a
straight line, provided it was pro-
jected at the mean distance that we
^now have, with its present mean
velocity; and the year would be
exactly the same as now. I mention
these tilings to show you how the
Lord, by a little deviation, can
.design a great variety of orbits, in
which worlds may revolve, accord-
;ing to law ; fpr all these things are
done according to law ; and if actual-
ly projected, as we would propel a
cai^non ball, then all the Lord has
to do is to decree the form of the
elliptical orbit, having one year for
its description, and the projectinjg
angle. will be, at once, known.
This is a law, and the Lord is the
Author of it. It is not a law of
nature. Jt is not a law of blind
materials which have no knowledge
or life connected with thj^m, pr,ip
them or raund^bout them.
I have been speaking of bofiies^pro-
jected at different angles, and at the
mean distance of our earth frpm the
sun. But let us next go still fur-
ther off into space. We can go
away to the orbit of Jupiter, ^bout
four times our distance from the
sun. Is there any law for projection
or a law of velocity that would cause
bodies to revolve in orbits, At four
times our distance from the sun?
Yes. What is the law 1 It must not
have the same velocity that we have.
It must, at four times that distance,
have only one one-half of the mean
orbital velocity of our earth ; and, if
you gave it more than one half of
such velocity, it would decrease the
mean distance of the orbit below
four ; if you gave it less, it would in
crease that mean distance above
four ; but if you gave it exaetly one
half of the velocity our earth has,
then it would preserve its orbit in a
circle, or in. any kind of an ellipse at
that mean distance. Is there any
law to govern this velocity depend-
ing upon the distance from the sunt
Yes. -What is the lawl According
to mathematical expressions, "the
velocity varies inversely as the
square root of the distance." Well,
says one, that is no information to
us. We don't know what you mean
by inversely and don't know what
you mean by the square root ; for all
of us have not suflSciently studied
arithmetic so as to understand the
roots and powers of numbers. In
reply, I will say, it is something very
simple to all advanced students of
arithmetic. Let me say a few more
words, in regard to this law ; for
this is also a law of God. For in-
stance, we will say, that the earth
travels a certain distance in one
MAN TO BB JUbaKlJ' BY LA'V^, ETC.
2Sf
second, which we will cail a unit
distance or 18 miles in a second, in
its orbit — we will call this distance
one. We go four times further off
than our earth is from the sun, and
takes the square root of four. But
inquires one, how do you get the
square root of four? A number
that will multiply into itself, say
two into two, makes four ; two then
is the square root of four, that is, it
is the dived square root, not the
inverse. But now you put this fig-
ure 2 underneath a line, and. place
the figure 1 above it (thus \) and
such a fraction is the inverse square
root of four. Hence, one-half the
velocity that our earth has, must be
given to bodies which are four times
further from the sun than we are.
When nine times further off from
the sun than we are the orbital
velocity will be only one third of
ours ; because one third is the in-
verse square root of nine. In like
manner, when sixteen times furthei^
off, the orbitral velocity is ours.
When twenty-five times more dis-
tant, the orbital velocity will be one-
fifth, and feo on to any &t£lnce.
Here, then, is a regular laW of
velocity : attd you may extend this'
to any dktance, in the solar system,
that you please.
Now,', who ordained^ this velocity!
Did ihk unconscious materials of
nature' come together, and undertake
to consider this matter % Here are
laws th4t are conducted with great
intelligence,— intelligence too, that
was not understood for several thou-
sand yoars preceding the period of
Newton. We have no account that
the most cixHlized nations of the
earth had any idea of the law of
velocity depending dn the inverse
square root of ' t'be distance. Yet
this law existed, whei^her understood
by man or n6t :it ipad6 no dififeirence
whether th6"'xiiti6iis"w6rfe igneraut
in regard to this matter or not, the
law existed, and operated for aged
unperceived by mortals.
The Latter-day Saints say, that
the Lord of Hosts who has given ufe
laws, adapted to our condition as
free agents, has also given, laws to
these material worlds, by which they
act and by which they are preserved
for a great, and wise and good pur-
pose, to sustain unnumbered myriads
of animated beings, who are by
numerous other laws adapted to
these worlds, and enjoy life therein.
We now have been speaking of the
infinitely wise law of the velocity of
planets. But this law would not
preserve our universe in its present
beautiful order, if the law of gravi-
tation was not exactly what it is.
We say that the law of gravitation
acts inversely as the square of the
distance. Now, why doesn't it vary
as the cube of the distance 1 Why
doesn't it vary inversely as the fourth
power of the distance, or some other
law of distance % Because all these
other laws would throw the system
into destruction at once ; it could
not be sustained. There is only one
law among an infinite number that
might be chosen, that would pre-'
strve the system in its present beau-
tiful order, and that is the law of
the inverse square of the distance.
Who gave this law to materials that
they should have this attractive
force % The Book of Covenants tells
us that " God hath given a law unto
all things by which they move in
their times and their seasons f but
if he had given a different law than
this I have named, in regard to
gravitation, the whole system, in a
very short period, would be reduced
to a chaotic mass, lifeless and inani-
mate, existing for ho purpose,
accomplishing no design or end.
All this infinite 'wreck of worjds
would be the n'^ti^ssary result of
338
JOURNAJi or DISCOUBSXS.
sekcting an unwise law, varying
from the one which now obtains
among gravitating materials.
The law of velocity must be exact-
ly adapted to the law of the inverse
square of the attractive power.
Who was it that made this adapta-
tion 1 Did the materials endow them-
selves with both 01 these laws 1
Did they perceive that no other laws
would render the universe stable or
lasting 1 Or, otherwise, is there an
all-wise and all-powerful Governor
who brings all things under the
dominion of laws, wise in their action,
powerful in their nature, and pre-
serving the grand machinery of the
imiverse, in the most perfect har-
mony in the working of all its
parts 1
There must, then, have been some
great supreme intelligence who or-
ganized these wprlds -end gave them
laws of attractive force and adjust-
ed velocities and thus produced the
harmonious orbits which we have,
and which will preserve themselves,
unless interfered with by some ex-
traneous force, for thousands of
years to come.
We might go on and speak of a
great many other principles connect-
ed with these laws, but let us now
come to the laws given to intelligent
beings. God^has given laws to what
might be termed intelligent nature ;
but let me say, that what is termed
intelligent, nature is sometimes call-
ed in tliis same revelation from
which I have been reading, a spirit,
or rather, a power that " is in all
things, through all things, round
^bout all things, and the la,w by
wrhich all things are governed.'* It
13^ then, an intelligent power that
encircles itself through, or over, or
rpund about every particle or every
alom, and these ato^is act in accord-
9me with the law that is ordained,
md do not deviate from it unless
commanded by the same authority
that gave the law. The same Being
who gave the law to materials by
which they act, can counteract the
law. He did so in the instance
when Elisha caused iron to swim.
We read, that as one was felling a
beam, the axe head fell into the
water. The man, was much con-
cerned, because it was a borrowed
axe. *^ And the man of God said,
Where fell it 1 , And he showed him
the place. And he cut down a stick
and cast it in thither; and the iron did
swim." Now what was it that caused
the axe to rise in the water? The same
Being who gave the law of gravita-
tion, which caused the axe to sink,
counteracted that law, and caused
the axe to swim. The same Being
who gave the law of universal gra-
vitation, can counteract this law.
He did it, in many instances, in an-
cient times. . He divided the Red
Sea to allow the Israelites to pass.
The water stood up like walls, in a
great heap, not for a few seconds, or
minutes, but stood there sufficiently
long to allow the Israelites to get to
the other side of the sea. Now,
what was it that counteracted this
law of nature 1 What was it that
caused this watery element, which
has a tendency to spread out and
sink to its own level, to stand up in
a heap, almost like a solid bodyt
The same Being who gave the law,
which governs the yielding liquid
properties of water, can counteract
the law, so as to make the water
stand in heaps., drod is the great
Author of all law, and is just as
able to counteract a law, as he is to
continue a law. Let him withdraw
the command that materials shall
attract all other materials ; let him
say to matter, " I no longer require
you to act according to that Jaw,**
and you would not .find the earth
going in an orbit around the suq^
MAN BO BE JUIX^^ JBY I4.W, -ETO.
389:
There would be no bond of union to
keep things in their proper place;
everything would be left to itself.
Let Grod withdraw his law, or let
him command adversely, and he will
be obeyed ; because he has the
power thus to direct ; and the intel-
ligence which surrounds these mate-
rials, the spirit that is in and through
all these things, would understand
the command and act apcordingly.
In the same way the Lord heals the
sick. . He has made the tabernacles
of the children of men, and he has
organized them according to a law,
so that every part of the human sys-
tem is adapted to every other part.
The blood flows through the arteries,
and through the veins, and every
part performs its proper functions.
When any part or portion of this
wonderfully constructed being, or, in
other words, this almost perfect
machine, becomes deranged or out
of order, the same Being who first
constructed man, with ail the differ-
ent organs, muscles, sinews and
skin, can easily mend or regulate
the same, and cause every part to
work in perfect harmony with every
other part, so as to impart health,
and life, and vigor to the whole
machinery. You would certainly
think that a person was not much of
a mechanic if, after he had construc-
ted a beautiful clock, and it had run
for several years, and got out of or-
der — if when you applied to him for
repairs he rephed that he could not,
you would be apt to say, "You
made it in the first place : you cer-
tainly ought to know what is the
matter, and you can repair and re-
store it to working order.'* Just so
with the Lord. When our human
machineij is out of order, he under-
stands all about it ; and he is
the best physician that can be em-
ployed ; and he also can be employ-
^ without money and without
price. He impart^ to this machineiy
his Holy Spirit which circulates^
through the whole body, and pro-
motes health and strength in the
individual But how apt we are to
apply to inferior physicians, Aa
soon as something ails this mortal
tabernacle, the cry is, "Oh, motheri
or husband, wiU you send for the
doctor. My son is very sick, and
we need the doctor." Now this is
sometimes the way with those who
call themselves Latter-day Saints,
but they ought to be ashamed that
they do not honor the name which
they have taken upon themselves.
The Lord has ordauied that when
you are sick, you should apply the
simple ordinance of the laying on of
hands, or the anointing with oil by
his servants in the name of Jesus
Christ. In this ordinance there is
more power than in all the medical
ability in the world; for there are
many diseases which baffle the skill
of the wisest physicians, while by
the laying on of the hands of the
servants of God — not in their own
name, but in the name of Jesus
Christ — according to the directions
given in the Scriptures, we have the
promise that they shall be healed;
that is, if they are not appointed
unto death.
Here, then, is another law of God;
and we might go on and touch upon
instances of the healing power, — the
healing of the lame man, the blind
man, the deaf man, or of fevers
removed from the body, and the
restoration of broken bones. No^'
we have many testemonies, especi- '
ally among our brethren in Wales,
where they have, in the coal mines
in which they worked, been crushed,
as it were, until many bones in their
body were broken, so much so, tha^
it was supposed they could onlj
live a very few hours, at the long-
eat; yet by the laying on of t^
iM^
JOtnblAL -O^ BIBCOUMltoi
hiitids of the servants of Grod, we
have the testunony of many wit-
neisses' that those bones were brought
together, making a noise like the
crashing of a basket and were placed
in their proper form; and the indi-
viduals were restored to health and
soundtiess. Could any herbs, or
minerals, or physicians have ac-
complished this? No. Who did ac-
complish thisi The Lord Jesus
Christ, through his servants, by the
laying on of hands, according to his
commandment. Did he do it accord-
ing to law? Yes; for all his works
are carried on, according to certain
laws which he has ordained ; and
if we had the same wisdom that he
has, we could see the workings of I
the Holy Spirit upon the bones that
are broken; we could see the circu-
lation of that spirit in bringing those
bones together; we could see the ac-
tion of that spirit in relieving the
optic nerve, so as to impart sight to
the eye. If we could see the work-
ings of that spirit, and then under-
stand by what power it works, these
things would not be a miracle to us.
God has no limit tho these laws that
are called the laws of nature. He
has an infinite number of laws; and
he can work accordina; to any of
them, which are suitably adapted to
the circumstances, so as to bring
about his righteous purposes and
wise designs according to his own
good will and pleasure. Amen.
THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC.
241
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDE.^T JOHN TAYLOR,
Dbliveked at Ogden Tabernacle, on Sunday, March 21st, 1880.
(Reported by Oeo. F, Gibhs.)
THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH AS TAUGHT BY REVELATION TO THE
ANCIENTS, AND ALSO TO THE SAINTS IN OUR DAY.
It affords me pleasure to have the
opportunity of being with the Saints
of this place to-day. I came here to
attend to your Primary meeting of
the juveniles ; and as I was here, I
thought I would stay over Sunday
and talk to the fathers and mothers
a little. And I would state, as is
generally understood by you all, that
we do not have our discourses ar-
ranged for us, or marked out par-
ticularly. Our ideas are to present
ourselves before the people, and to
seek for the influence of the Spirit
of the Lord, that such things may
be communicated as may be advan-
tageous and interesting to those who
hear. And, therefore, when we
meet together in an assembly like
this we ought all of us, both speaker
and hearer, to feel that we are in
the hands of our Heavenly Father,
and to seek for the aid of his Holy
Spirit, that the speaker may speak
correctly and understandingly, and
in a manner that shall be calculated
to promote the welfare of the people,
and that the people themselves may
also be prepared toreceive such things
as may be communicated.
We occupy a peculiar position on
ttes earth at the preseiit time, per-
Ko. 16.
haps a little different from that of
any other people that have existed
on the earth — our thoughts, our ideas
our principles, our organization, our
doctrines, our ordinances, and every-
thing connected with our religious
matters are different from those of
other people ; and it is our opinion,
and not only our opinion, but a cer-
tainty — ^in fact, it amounts to know-
ledge among a great many of the
Latter-day Saints, that the influencea
and principles that we have received
have been communicated to us by
the Almighty. We were not th^
originators of the principles we be-
lieve in; neither was Josefph nor
Hyrum Smith, nor Prest. Brigham
Young, nor the Twelve; neither waa
any individual nor any people asso-
ciated with the priesthood or theor^
ganization of the Church at th6
present time. We believe that thesQ
things have been communicated to
us by the Lord; that they are in
strict harmony with principles tlMci
have existed heretofore, to a certain
extent, with tiiis difference however;
that in the' various dispensatieoft
that have existed upon, the earth
since its formation, each one hai
had its' pi^uliar rele to fulfil, witk
¥•1 XXL
342
JOXTRNAL OF DISCOURSBS.
certain duties devolving upon those
operating to attend to. We are living
in the dispensation which is em-
phatically called the dispensation of
the fulness of times, which we are in-
formed from the scriptures has been
"spoken of by all the holy prophets
since the world was;" and this being
the case, the dispensation in which
we live embraces necessarily all that
was contained in any and all of the
olher dispensations that have ex-
isted in all the ages preceding ours;
and that consequently whatever or-
ganizations, manifestations, revela-
tions or communications that have
ever come from God to the human
family in their times and dispensa-
tions, we may consistently expect
to be embodied in this one. And,
therefore, in some respects, as I stated
before, the dispensation or time in
which we live differs in many par-
ticulars from those in which God has
communicated to man.
We have, for instance, what is
called the patriarchal dispensation,
which existed before and after the
flood. And those patriarchs and
men of God that lived in those re-
mote ages had communications with
the Almighty, and they also had the
Gospel. And they not only received
revelations pertaining to their own
day and age, but also in regard to
the future. And hence we are told
that Adam, three years before his
death, gathered together a great
many of his people and the promi-
nent authorities of the holy priest-
hood, and he blessed them, and be-
ing filled with the Holy Ghost, pre-
dicted whatsoever should befall his
posterity unto the latest dispensa-
tion, including all the leading events
that should transpire in the different
ages of time, even until the winding
up scene, associated with this our
«arth; embracing those things that
have been and are to be brought
forth in this the present dispensation.
And, in fact, this dispensation, we
are told, has been "spoken of by all
the holy prophets since the world
was." And, therefore, it must of
necessity have been associated with
the teachiugs of Adam, of Seth, of
Enoch, of Methuselah, and of Noah,
Abraham, Moses and many other
prominent characters that held com-
munication with the Lord, and who
had revealed unto them his purposes
and designs in the days in which
they lived. Many people listened
to the principles of truth in their
day. Enoch was a remarkable man
and had a special mission to the peo-
ple in his day, and he was full of the
spirit of prophecy and revelation; he
also had a Church organization as
we have to a certain extent, and he
preached to the people and fore-
warned them of certain events that
should transpire upon the eartb.
And the wicked were angry with
them, as they are sometimes with
us ; they did not like their teachings
and operations, and they conspired
against them, and great numbers of
tbeir enemies assembled for the pur-
pose of destro3dng them. And
Enoch was clothed upon by the
power and spirit and revelation of
God. And whilst under the inspira-
tion of the Almighty he uttered his
prophecies, and his enemies and the
people generally trembled at the
power of his words ; and the earth
shook, and the people fled from his
presence afar off, and were not able
to injure him, for God was with him.
And Enoch, with the united labors
of the elders of his day, gathered
the people together who hearkened
to his worda and believed the mes-
sage sent to them, in the same man-
ner as you have been gathered to-
gether. They built up a city which
was called Zion; and the people who
inhabited it were under the inspira-
THE GRBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRX7TH, ETC.
243
tion of the Lord for a great number
of years; receiving instruction,
gaidaiice and direction from him.
And finally, as wickedness grew and
increased, and as the testimony went
ibrth among them, the good, the
Tirtaous, the honorable, the pure and
those who desired to fear God and
work righteousness assembled them-
selves together, constituting the city
of Zion; and the others became more
corrupt. And Enoch and his bre-
thren prophesied unto the people
about the calamities that should
overtake them, that the world was
to be destroyed by a flood; and there
were provisions made for the conti-
nuance of the human family, and it
was made known to Methuselah
that his seed should be the medium
flirough which should be perpetu-
ated the human family upon the
earth. And Methuselah was so
very desirous to have this thing ful-
filled that Noah, his grandson, who
was the son of Lamech. was ordained
by Methuselah when he was ten
years old.
The people, we learn, grew to be
so corrupt that "the imaginations of
the thoughts of their hearts were
only evil, and that continually;" and
we are told that it even repented
the Lord tliat he had made man.
But the servants of God went forth
preaching the Gospel of life and sal-
vation to this wicked people, and
warned them of the destruction that
was coming upon the earth. Before
&is great calamity took place Enoch
and his city were translated.
The power of translation was a
principle that existed in the Church
in that dispensation. There is some-
thing very peculiar in these things.
Some people, who are not in the
Church, might ask me where I got
my evidence fronou To the Latter-day
Saints I would say, we get it by
Mvelation. We do not believe that,
say some. That we cannot help. I
am speaking now to those who do
believe so, to those who are believers
in God, and who are believers in the
Bible, the Book of Mormon, the'
Doctrine and Covenants, and who*
believe in the revelations which the
Lord has given and in those he con-
tinues to communicate. It is to
those people I am speaking to-day
on these points.
The Bible does not give us a very
extensive history of tliese matters;
in fact, it is very, veiy brief. Re-
ferring to that great man, Enoch, it
tells us that he was not for God took
him; and that is all. This is a very
short history for so important a sub-
ject.
After that the flood came, which
was a terrible calamity, to overtake
the inhabitants of the earth; and
they were swept away according to
the prophecy — cut off from the earth,
deprived of life and existence, and
shut up in prison.
After some thousands of years Je-
sus came, associated with another
dispensation. And when he ap-
peared on the earth and had got
through with his ministry, and had
suffered in the flesh and was quick-
ened by the spirit, "he went and
preached to the sphits in pnson" who
were, as stated, "sometime disobe-
dient in the days of Noah." And
hence thousands of people that had
suffered the wrath of God for so long
a time had the opportunity of listen-
ing to the principles of the Gospel in
another dispensation that Jesus came
to proclaim. And when he had got
through with his mission on the
earth to those who lived, he went
then to preach to those who had'
been dead, and I niight properly say
were damned for so many years.
And what was the special missioa
he had to proclaim) He came ^'to
preach the Gh)spel to the poor, to
2ii
JOinUTAL OF DIS00UBSE8.
Sen' the eyes of the blind, to set at
>erty those that were bound, and
to pt^eaoh the acceptable year of the
Lord, and the day of vengeance of
oar God." That was part of his mis-
sicm; the whole of his mission,, how-
ever, has not yet be^i fiilfilied. BUt
he came to libelee the. prisoners,
which he did in the spirit, when he
got through with his mission on the
earth.
On the back of that Noah steps
forward in a prominent position, and
he had his work to perform, which
he did perform, and began to raise
up another seed; and they lived also
in what may be termed a patriarchal
dispensation. And among them
were many of his leading posterity.
Th^re was Melohisedec, &v instance,
who was called the King of Salem
and the Prince of Peace, of whom ,
Paul makes some curious remarks,
among which was that Christ was a
priest forever, after the order of Mel-
chisedec. If he was, then of course
Melchisedec was a priest after the
order of Christ. And as Christ in-
troduced the Gospel, so Melchisedec
had the Gospel, and had and held
and administered in the same priest-
hood that Jesus did. And we read
too, according to some men's ideas,
a very singular thing concerning
him, that "he was without father
and mother, and without beginning
of days or end of years, and abideth
a priest continually.*' He must be,
indeed, a very singular man, to be
without father and without mother
and without descent, and yet that
he should be a priest forever. Well,
how is it? You generally understand
it; but I will inform those who do
not that the Apostle Paul referred
to the priesthood that Melchisedec
held, and that they had what was
termed the Aaronic or Levitical
pri^stiaiSMHi in their day, that is, the
iiaj/kk-ivMch JBaul lived ; and that a
man to be a priest had to be a literal
descendant of Aaron and of the
tribe of Levi; and he had to be able
to ^rove his lineage, tracing Ids de-
scent back to the time whea thii
priesthood was given by Moses in ddr
wilderness. But the Melcliisedea
priesthood was different from thaty
it had nothing to do particularly with
either father or mother, it bemg
without descent, and, therefore, peo-
ple holding it were not altogether de-
pendent upon their father or mother
or descent for this authority ; but
that priesthood is an everlasting
I»iesthood, administering in time
and in eternity. And this is what
Paul referred to by way of contra-
distinction to the Aaronic priesthood
which then existed
Associated with this priesthood
there were certain powers and priv-
ileges. These Abraham possessed and
enjoyed. Some people think that he
was a kind of a shepherd with very
few more ideas than a mushToom;
that he lived in the dark ages and
did not comprehend much ;. that ho
was not intelligent and had a species
of what we term now-a-dajs "old
fogyism." But if we examine into
his character and the position he^
occupied, and if we understand
something about the principles he*
promulgated, we shall find that ho
was another character entirely. In
giving his history he tells us that
"He sought for the blessings of the
Father and the right whereunto he
should be ordained to administer the
same." He further says: — "Having
been myself a foUov^er of righteous-
ness, desiring also to be one who
possessed great knowledge, and to bo
a great follower of righteousness, and
to possess a greater knowledge, and
to be a father of many nations, a-
prince of peace; and desiring to re-
ceive instructions, and to keep. the
commandments of God I. became a*
THE OREIT PRINOIPLBS OP TRUTH, ETC.
9tf
rightfdl heir, a high priest, holding
the right belonging to the Iftthera; it
WAS oonferred upon me from the
&thei« ; it came down from the
fathers, from the beginning of time.
Yea, even from the beginning, or
tefore the foundations of the earth,
to the present time, even the riglrt
of the first-born, on the first man,
who was Adam, or first father,
through the fathers unto me."
Times'' and Seasons, vol. iii, p. 704.
His father however was an idolator;
but had probably possessed a record
of his genealogy, for Abraham in
his record continues : — "I shall en-
deavor hereafter to delineate the
chronology, running back from my-
self to the beginning of the creation,
for the records have come into my
hands, which I hold until the pre-
sent time." And having found out
that he had a right to the priesthood,
he, therefore, sought an ordination,
and he was ordained by Melchisedec
to the Melchisedec priesthood. And
the Lord gave unto him certain priv-
ileges and powers that were very
great ; not only did he have an or-
dination in the way I refer to, but
he sought more information from
the Lord. And the Lord communi-
cated with him and gave him a
Urim and Thummim by which he
was enabled to interpret, to read and
comprehend the mind and will and
the laws and purposes of God. And,
furthermore, I would state that he
went still further. He asked God
for certain blessings and privileges
and powers which belonged to him
and which he considered were with-
in his reach, and which were his
privilege to obtain. And the Lord
revealed himself to him and com-
municated unto him certain eternal
principles — that no man can compre-
hend unless God does reveal them —
and many other things — ^the motion
<rf the planets, and the planetary
system of the earth on vrkich wie
hve, and the sun and the moot and
the stars and the variouB bodies thit
compose our sokr system; and then,
of other suns, and other heavenly
bodies eaid the laws governing them.
Abraham wrote those things, and
was well versed in those great pria-
ciples j and some men affirm to-day
that he was the founder of certain
abstruse principles wliich they allege
are discovered in what is called
the Great Pyramid of Eg3rpt, — prin-
ciples that not only pertain to the
planetaiy systems but to events yet
to transpire on the earth. I am not
going to say anything about the
truth or the untruth of these latter
statements, as I have not investi-
gated them sufficiently to compre-
hend them ; but I merely give th«
opinion of a great many men respect-
ing him and tlie intelligence he pcNB-
sessed. But suffice it to say, that the
Lord himself instructed Abraham
in things pertaining to this and
other worlds, and that he in his day
possessed more light and intelligence
on the principles alluded to than all
the combined wisdom of the world
of to-day.
Now, this was the kind of a man
that Abraham was. And his heart
and feelings and affections were
drawn out after God. And God
blessed him and said unto him,
'*That in blessing I will bless thee,
and in multiplying I will multiply
thee and thy seed shall be as the
stars of heaven," &c. And further
the Lord told him, "And in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed, because thou hast obeyed
my word." And hence he occupied
a very important position. And, as
I before said, being a patriarch be
had the gospel and the priesthood
belonging to it, namely, the Melchis-
edec priesthood.
I do not propose to-day to show
246
JOURNAL 07 DISCOURSES.
how these things have all been liter-
ally fulfilled that are here spoken of ;
that I will leave for you to hunt up
for yourselves. But the promises
xnade to that man of Gk)d have been
literally fulfilled, even to the present
day to the coming forth of this work
with which we are associated.
Now, that was a peculiar dispen-
sation ; it was under the dispensation
that was introduced, say by Noah, or
the one that he was, I was going to
say, founder of; he was not the
founder of it, but he was the one
preserved by the Almighty from the
wreck of the world, in which he had
lived for upwards of 600 years to
introduce it. And Abraham was
one of the prominent actors in oper-
ating and carrying out the purposes of
God iu that dispensation, and there
-were a great many others too that
were in possession of the same kind
of intelligence; but he was one of
the most prominent, therefore I
have referred more particularly to
him.
Then, there was another dispen-
sation followed, called the Mosaic
dispensation. Moses was made use
of as an instrument to deliver the
children of Israel from Egyptian
bonda^>e. It had been predicted
that the descendants of Israel should
go into bondage and be confined
there for 400 years, and that they
should be delivered by the power of
God. And Moses was the man
chosen of the Lord to perform that
work ; and he was indebted to the
Lord for the instruction and the in-
telhgence he received. We read in
the Bible that on a certain occasion
he saw a burning bush, and the bush,
we learn, was not consumed ; and
on going towards it he heard the
voice of the Lord speaking unto him,
teUing him to take his shoes from
off his feet, for the place whereon he
stood was holy ground. He did as
he was commanded. The Lord then
told him that he had a work for hhn
to perform, which was that he sliould
go down to Egypt where he had been
reared from his youth, and where he
had been taught according to the
learning of the Eg3/ptians to deliver
this people Israel out of their bond-
age. You that are acquainted with
your Bible know the history of it.
The account is lengthy and I shall
not attempt to enter into it. Suffice
it to say, he succeeded in delivering
the children of Israel from Egyptian
bondage. He had the power, when
his people reached the Red Sea, to
smite the sea and cause the waters
to divide, thereby making a way of
escape from their pursuers, the
Egyptians. He lead them into the
wilderness where they had to depend
entirely upon the mercies of God for
their sustenance. But having been
in bondage for so long a time it was
difficult for them to comprehend
many things that were communi-
cated to them ; and, we are told,
they began to long for the leeks and
the onions. We, in our day, would
think that their taste was not so
very delicate ; but that was their
desire, many of them feeling that
they would rather go back to Egypt
than to suffer the trials that seemed
to await them. And the Lord mani-
fested himself to them in many
marvelous ways^ and Moses who was
their leader and who had beai
especially appointed by the Lord,
went up to the mount, and the Lord
gave unto him certain command-
ments wljiich he wrote with his own
finger, upon tables of stone whidi
were prepared for that purpose.
Moses was away from the people f(ff
some time conversing with and re-
ceiving communications from the
Almighty, and when he came down
he found that the people whom he
had led out of Egypt and to whom
THS 6RBAT FKINCIFLES OF TRUTH, ETC.
247
the manifestationH of the Lord had
been shown, had made a golden
calf and were worshipping itT— about
the same as we do sometimes, and
we profess to be a much more
enlightened people than they were
— and they said, "These be thy
gods, Israel, which brought thee
out of the land of Egypt." On see-
ing this Avickedness on the part of
his people he became angry, and he
threw the tables of stone to the
ground and broke them. After-
wards other stones were prepared
and the same laws written on them.
And the Lord was desirous that
they as a people should be faitliful
in the observance of his laws, that
they should be governed by the
principles of the Gospel which Moses
taught them. This is a singular
idea to some people ; they think
there was no Gospel until Jesus
came. Well, we cannot help that,
but Paul understood it better. He
tells us that Moses preached the
Gospel to them in the wilderness,
hut the word preached did not pro-
fit them, etc., wherefore the law was
added because of transgression.
Added to what? To the Gospel.
Paul understood this if men in this
agedonot. And Moses did himself get
into the presence of God, and he
also led seventy elders who were so
mstructed and prepared that they
could go into the presence of God to
communicate with him ; but the
people were afraid of God, and when
the Lord appeared to them on
Mount Sinai, when they heard the
thunders and saw the lightning and
felt the mountain quake, they said
to Moses, do not let the Lord speak
to us any more lest we his people
die ; but do thou speak to us and be
mouthpiece. They were not pre-
pared to come into the presence of
the Lord ; they were not sufficieutly
pure, neither did they understand
the laws and principles which Ged
had communicated. But they mur-
mured and murmured and that
continually — the same as we do,
we see something of the same spirit,
we are found sometimes murmuring
against God, or at least against some
of the revelations he has given unto
us, or against the priesthood, and in
many instances without cause. And
what had God done for them 1 He
brought them out from the midst of
Egypt, from a state of servitude and
vassalage, and delivered them from
the hands of their oppressors, and
when the Egyptians pursued them,
he opened the waters of the Eed
Sea and let them pass through in
safety ; but swallowed up their
enemies who pursued them. Then
when they were short of food he
supplied them with angel's food,
manna. That was all the harm he
had done to them — just about as
much as many others who murmur.
They murmured against God for
bringing them away, and against
Moses for being the instrument in
doing it. Whereas God was trying
to fulflll the promises he had made
with Abraham, their father ; and he
was making use of Moses as his in-
strument to deliver the people from
that bondage with which they had
been oppressed for so long a time ;
but because of their transgressions,
their wickedness and their rebellious-
ness, the law was added or given
unto them, which was a law of car-
nal commandments and ordinances,
of which a later writer in speaking
of it says, "neither we nor our
fathers were able to bear."
Well, he placed them in another
position, and gave unto them the
Gospel, but as they could not endure
the greater light he gave them a
lesser light in the form of a law of
carnal commandments and ordi-
nances. Hence that dispensation is
ns
JOURKAX OF DISCOURSES.
therefore called the Mosaic dispensa-
tion ; and Moses was the instrument
made use of by the Ahnighty to in-
troduce it, and it was revealed to
him upon the mountain. And that
. law of carnal commandments and
ordinances seemed to suit them a
little better than the Gospel ; they
loved these carnal commandments
better than the light, the truth, the
revelation and spirit that was asso-
ciated with the Gospel. And they
could not come into the presence of
God. If you remember, certain
men at one time went running to
Moses to complain of certain other
men whom they said were prophesy-
ing ; and Moses said to them, would
to God that all the Lord's people
were prophets : would to God that
all could be inspired with that spirit
of revelation that floM's from him.
Says the Prophet Joel, in speaking
of the glory of the latter-day, "And
it shall come to pass afterward, that
I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh ; and^ your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old
men shall dream dreams ; your
young men shall see visions ; and
upon the servants and the hand-
maids in those days will I pour out
my spirit," etc. Now, they had a
dispensation then called the Mosaic
dispensation ; and associated with
that was a sprinkling of the Gospel.
Once in a while the Tight of the day
star would dawn upon the people,
foretelling some things in which
they and their children were interest-
ed ; and that was manifest through
certain men among them who were
peculiarly inspired by God. But
they did not have then a regularly
ordained organization of the Mel-
ehisedec Priesthood as we have it.
If a man received these things in
those days he received it from God.
A young man came to me to ask me
tome questions on this subject, and
I will here mention one thing I told
him. These prophets had the Mel-
chizedec Priesthood, but they did
not have it in the regular organized
form as we have it. Hence when
Elijah was about to be translated —
for that spirit and power was yet
with him ; it had not left the earth
after Enoch's day, for many were
translated besides him and his city
— there were certain prophets scat-
tered up and down among Israel,
and as Elijah and Elisha were
travelling together, Elijah said to
Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee, for
the Lord hath sent me to Bethel
But Elisha said as the Lord liveth,
and as thy soul liveth, I will not
leave thee. And they went on to-
gether. And at Bethel the sons of
the prophets at that place came
forth unto Elisha, and said unto him,
Knowest thou that the Lord will
take away thy master from thy head
to-day ? And he answered. Yea, I
know it ; hold ye your peace. At
this place Elijah wanted Elisha to
tarry, saying that the Lord had sent
him to a place called Jericho ; but
Elisha made the same answer.
Elijah at this place made the same
request of his companion, saying the
Lord had sent him on to Jordan;
but Elisha would not be separated
from his master. And they went
on to Jordan together ; and when
they came to that stream, Elijah
took off his mantle, wrapped it to-
gether and smote the water which
divided, so that they went over on
dry ground. And when they had
passed over, Elijah asked Elisha
what he could do for him before he
should be taken away. Elisha,
knowing that he had something to
do and that he was about to be left
alone, and that he might be the
better prepai'ed to perform the work
before hun, requested Elijah to
let a double portion of his spirit rest
THE ORBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC.
249
upon him. Bat could £fi|fth giant
Ms request? No, he could not.
What answer did Elijcdi make himl
He said, thou hast aciked a hard
thing; nevertheless, if thou seest me
when I am taken from thee, it shall
he so unto thee ; hut if not it shall
not he so. How did Elijah know
that? Because he knew that the
Melchizedec Priesthood holds the
keys of the mysteries and the reve-
lations of God ; and that if he could
see him as he ascended, it would he
an evidence to him that the Lord
had granted his request, although
he himself had not power to grant
it, Elisha would then know that his
prayer was heard. Those other pro-
phets, who knew that Elijah was to
he translated, went and stood to
view the event afar off; I do not
suppose that they saw anything»of
Elijah as he was being taken up into
heaven. But'he was taken up, and
Elisha saw the manner in which he
went, and cried out, " My father !
my father ! the chariot of Israel and
the horsemen thereof." And how
did he see them 1 God had confer-
red upon him that priesthood by
which he was enabled to see them.
Elijah threw down his mantle as he
ascended, which Elisha took up and
started off alone, his "head" having
been translated. But he had re-
ceived the answer to his prayer; and
approaching the banks of the Jor-
dan, with the mantle that had been
left him he smote the waters saying,
"Where is the Lord God of Elijah?"
And when he did so they parted as
they had done at the command of
Elijah, and Elisha passed over.
And God was with him, manifesting
his power through him, as he had
done through his predecessor. I
speak of this as a certain principle
and I speak of it now for the infor-
mation of you elders, that they did
not have then an organized Mel-
chisedec Priesthood, but that if it |
was conferred upon individuals, thav
did not have the power to confer it
upon others, unless through special
command of the Lord. And Elijah
knew that if Elisha could see him
when he was ascending, that his
prayer would be answered. Why i
Because the Melchizedec Priesthood
holds the keys of the mysteries and
the revelations of God.
This is a principle on that point;
and it may be of use to you elders^
that you may comprehend the posi-
tion, that they occupied. That was
associated in part with the Mosaic
dispensation, but only in part. But
when Jesus came he introduced the
Melchisedec priesthood in an organ-
ized form, and restored the Gospel.
But those men did not restore the
Gospel. But let me show you
that are acquainted with the history
of the Book of Mormon, they had a
great many more revelations in re-
gard to these things upon this conti-
nent than they had upon the conti-
nent of Asia. And they had the
Gospel and administered in the ordi-
nances and talked about the coming
of Christ, still they administered in
the laws of Moses until the coming
of Christ ; and yet at the same time
they did have the Gospel and an or-
ganization of that Gospel in part
and ordinances among them differ-
ent from what they had on the other
continent before Christ came. You
that are acquainted with the Book
of Mormon will find these things in
it; and if you have not found them,
hunt them up, and you will find
what I say in relation to this matter
is true.
Very well. W^hen Jesus came he
had been looked forward to by all
the prophets since the world was,
and it had been prophesied about
him that he would come to redeem
the world and offer himself as a sac-
rifice, as an atonement for the sins
of the world, of which there wer^
250
JOURNAL or DIS00T7BSES.
nuuiy shadows and types. I will re-
fer back again to Moses, and then I
will refer to the sacrament. Moses,
as I stated, had the Gospel when he
went among'the children of Israel.
There were many signs and won-
ders poured out among them and
many calamities overtook the
Egyptians. And Moses went from
time to time into the presence of
Pharaoh telling him what should
take place, and among the rest he
said that if they did not let Israel go
the first bom of the Egyptians
should be slain. And he told the
people that dwelt iu the land Go-
shen — the children of Israel — that
they were to kill a lamb and sprinkle
the blood of the lamb uix)n their
door posts, and that when the de-
stroying angels passed through, their
children should escape death. And
it happened precisely as had been
told them — ^^vhile the first-born of
the Egyptians was destroyed, the
children of the Hebrews were pre-
served. Now, that was called the
passover among the children of
Israel, and it was continued among
them year after year, and the day
on which it was kept was called the
day of the Passover.
When Jesus was upon the earth
he sent his disciples to go and pre-
pare a place that they might hold
ike passover together. *'And as they
were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it. and brake it, and gave it
to the disciples, and said, Take, eat;
this is my body. And he took the
cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying. Drink ve all of it; for
this is my blood of the new testa-
ment, which is shed for many for
the remission of sins." What was
it they were doing] It was partak-
ing of the passover of the sprinkling
of that blood which was typical ot*
the shedding of the blood of the
Lamb of God upon Calvary. And
the breaking of that bread was typi-
cal of his broken body. And ^ey
offered in former times the blood of
bullocks and of rams, goats, etc., as
sacrifices. And all this, as Paul
says, had reference unto the shed-
ding of the blood of Christ; and
was typical of that of which he
was the great ante-type when he
came to fulfil all these things. Yeiy
well, what was that ) Did they have
the passover then) Yes. They
looked forward from that passover
to the time when Christ should
come and shed his blood to atone for
the sins of the world. And we look
back to the time when he did it, and
we partake of this sacrameni; — this
bread and water, which we use in-
stead of wine — in commemoration,
in token of what he has done for ns.
A»d we are told by the apostles, that
as often as we eat and drink of this,
we show forth the Lord's death until
he come again. And let me say to
you Latter-day Saints, while we are
doing this, there is something very
important connected with it, and we
ought to be careful that we do not
partake of these emblems to our
condemnation. Do you ever quarrel
with your brethren, or act in such a
way as to get up feelings, and per-
haps speak harsh words one about
another, and in other ways do that
which is wrong, and then meet to-
gether in solemn mockery before
God and eat and drink condemnation
to your souls'? We want to be careful
about these things; and hence we
should understand that when we
bring our gift to the altar, and there
remember that we have ought
against our brother, we should
first go and be reconciled to him
and then come and offer our gift.
Not come in any kind of hypocrisy,
but come with clean hands and pure
hearts and feel to say **0 God search
j me and try me and prove me, and if
THE GREAT FRINOIFLES OF TRtJTH, ETC.
251
there is any way of wickedness in
me, let it depart, and let me be thy
true representative upon the earth,
and let me partake of the spirit that
dwelleth in Christ, and live in the
enjoyment of that upon the earth;
that when he comes again I, with
my brethren, may meet him with
clean hands and pure hearts." And
I would say to the teachers who go
around to visit their brethren, when
you find ill feeling of any kind, it is
your duty to root it out, and to see
that there is no hardness and no
contention or strife among the peo-
ple who come to participate in this
sacred ordinance.
Well, so far as the gospel is con-
cerned, that dispensation was intro-
duced to the world first by John
the Baptist, who was the forerunner
of Jesus. And when the Savior
came John knew it, and on seeing
him he exclaimed, '^Behold the
Lamb of God that taketh away the
sin of the world." And when peo-
ple were flocking to John to be bap-
tized of him, Jesus came also as a
candidate for baptism. But John
told him that he (John) had need to
be baptized of him. But the Savior
told him to suffer it to be so, then "to
fulfil all righteousness." And he was
baptized of him. Well, that dispen-
sation continued for a long while
after, and it began to decline and
disappear; but there were a great
many men in different parts who
listened to the principles of the Gos-
pel of the Son of God. . But by and
by it began to fade away, both upon
the Asiatic continent and upon this
continent. It was prophesied that
it would, and that there should a
certain power arise who should seek
to make war with the Saints of God
and that it should overcome them ;
and this power should seek to change
times and seasons and things, and
they should be given into his hands
until a time and times and the di-
viding of a time. These things
were fulfilled — ^the Church of God
fell into darkness and the priesthood
was taken from them, and they had
instead something in the form of a
bogus priesthood and a bogus
creed instead of the true principles
which Jesus introduced among men.
That was on the continent of Asia.^
On this continent they seemed th&
same pretty much ; but they had an.
unparelleled scene of prosperity and
joy in the Gospel of the Son of God
after he came; and it grew and
spread and prevailed throughout the
land. And as it was in their love
for one another that no one said that
ought he possessed was his own ; but
they had all things common among
them. We are told of these things
more elaborately in some other places
which might be introduced, but
which I do not wish to enter into
now. On this continent they re-
mained in this condition for two hun-
dred years; and they dealt justly one
with another, and dwellt together in
■peace. I wish we could do that al-
ways. By and by they fell into
darkness, and the result was, as re-
corded in the Book of Mormon, to
which I again refer you to read and
investigate.
Then what next? Were things to
go on in that way for ever*? No ; the
dispensation of the fullness of times
has got to be restored to introduce
all that has been spoken of by all
the holy prophets since the world was»
The Apostle John, when banished to
the Isle of Patmos says that he saw
another angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting^ Gos-
pel to preach unto them that dwell
on the earth, and to every nation^
and kindred, and tongue and people^.
What do you mean? The same Gofr-
pel that Adam had, the same Gospel
that Seth had, the same Gospel that
352
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
-Enoch had, the same Gosp«l that
!Noah had, the same i Gospel that
Abraham had, the same Gospel that
Jesus had; the Gospel that brings
life and immortality to light, and
that places men in communion with
their Heavenly Father — ^the ever-
lasting Gospel. And who introduced
HI God himself came to earth with
his son Jesus and manifested him-
:self to the prophet Joseph, and,
pointing to his Son, said, "This is
my beloved son in whom I am well
pleased, hear him." Jesus from that
hour was to be his instructor. What
then? Then came Moroni, who had
charge of the records of the people
•on this continent, who came and de-
livered them to Joseph Smith.
What next"^ Then came John the
Baptist and laid his hands upon his
head and upon the head of Oliver
Cowdery, and said. Upon you may
fellow servants, I lay my hands and
•confer upon you the Aaronic priest-
hood, which shall never be removed
again from the earth until the sons
'Of Levi shall offer acceptable
sacrifices to the Lord. Why
did John come? Because he
held the keys of that priesthood and
was the last that held them in that
•dispensation. And then Peter,
James and John came and laid
their hands upon his head and or-
dained him to the office of the Mel-
chisedec priesthood. Why*? Be-
cause they had held that priesthood
themselves and they were the ones
that held the keys of that priesthood;
and wlien they left, the keys of that
priesthood were taken with them,
and they came having it in their
charge to confer it upon Joseph
Smith. What else^ Then Elijah
Appeared in the Temple at Kirtland
and conferred upon them the bless-
ings that were spoken of pertaining
to him. "Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the com-
ing of the great and dreadful day of
the Lord : and he shall turn the
heart of the fathers to the chfiidfen,
and the heart of the children to th^
fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse." The prophet
conferred upon him those keys; and
hence we try to do these things*
And people wonder why we are
building our temples. It is that the
hearts of the fathers may be turned
to the children, and the hearts of
the children to the Fathers. And
if Jesus saw it necessary after being
put to death in the flesh to go and
preach to the spirits in prison that
they might be judged according to
men in the flesh, it was also neces-
sary that provisions should be made
for men who had died without
the Gospel, without a knowledge
of the principles of eternal truth,
that we might be baptized for
them, as the Scriptures say, accord-
ing to the flesh, that they may
live according to God in the spirit.
Why is it you are so willing to build
temples'? You w«uld squeeze your
dollar in many other things, but
when it comes to that you say, "I
want to do it." And it is so through-
out Israel. I suppose we have as
many as five hundred men engaged
in this work. And the brethren feel
willing to do it. Why? Because you
want to secure certain blessings for
yourselves ; and, then, you want to
look after your friends, that the
hearts of the fathers may be turned
to the children, etc. We are operat-
ing upon the earth because we have
the power; and they are operating in
the heavens because they have the
power; and as the Scripture says,
they without us cannot be made
perfect, neither we without them.
And neither they nor we could oper-
ate in these things unless those keys
had been restored and things put in
the position they are to-day. Then
THE 6RBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC.
253^
we will build our temples, won't we]
I think we will, and then administer
in them. Were we to talk to the
world about a great many of the
things I have referred to to-day, we
would have to bring up evidence to
prove the truth of them. I am talk-
ing to Latter-day Saints, however,
to-day; and you ought to know of
them, if you do not; and if you are
not acquainted with them ''search the
Scriptures for in them you think you
have eternal life," and you will find
all these things I have mentioned.
Now, then, all of tliese dispensa-
tions had to be restored. Tlien
comes Moses. Why] because ■ he
held the keys of the gathering dis-
pensation : And he conferred upon
Joseph. Smith the power to gather
Israel from the four quarters of the
earth, and also the ten tribes. But
the latter have not Come yet ; but
people are hunting them up, and
they will be found by and by; when
the time comes, and the mountains
will flow down at their presence,
and a highway will be cast up, and
they wul come to a knowledge of
the people. But they could not
come without the restoration of the
keys I have referred to.
Now, here are all these diffeirent
dispensations, and there is one I
have not mentioned. We are told
to build up Zion, shall we do it ) I
tell you in the name of Israel's God
we will do it with the help of the
Almighty ; we cannot do it without,
but with his help we will do it We
will build up the Zion of our God,
and help to roll on the work which
God has commenced. And those
children you saw here the other day,
[referring to a general conference
meeting of the children of Weber
Stake] many of them will live to parti-
cipate in these things. And we will
endeaVer to train them in the fear
of God that their tender hearts may
be rooted in the principles of truth;,
and they be led to acknowledge the^
God of their fathers. Having said
so much I will pass on to something
else.
Here we are. We are organized
under the direction of the Almighty,
and as I before said, not according
to our ideas and notions, but accord-
ing to the word and will and revela-
tions and law of God. And none of
us can do anything only as God per-
mits us. What are we going to do f
We are going to build up Zion.
What then] When Zion is built
up — and it is not built up yet ; but
it will be built up ; and when that
is done Jerusalem that is spoken of
shall be built — and we are a long
way from that — ^but when that is
built up and the glory of God shall
rest upon it, upon every dwelling of
Mount Zion as it did in former
times — then we will build up our
Zion after the pattern that God will
show us, and we will be governed
by his law and submit to his autho-
rity and be governed by the* holy
priesthood and by the word and wiU
of God. And then when the time
comes that these calamities we read
of, shall overtake the earth, those
that are prepared will have the
power of translation, as they had m
former times, and the city will be
translated. And Zion that is on the
earth will rise, and the Zion above^
will descend, as we are told, and we
will meet and fall on each other's-
necks and embrace and kiss each
other. And thus the purposes of
God to a certain extent will then be
fulfilled. But there are a great
many things to be brought about
before that time. And we are here
in an organized capacity trying t<>
prepare ourselves for all the provi-
dences of the Almighty. We ate
trying to instil into the hearts of the
people the priboiples of honesty^
254
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
truth and integrity, and remove cove-
tousness and iniquity of every kind.
Never mind the world nor what they
can say or do, for they can only do
what the Lord permits them. We
will then continue to do as we have
done only a great deal more abun-
dantly. We will send out the Gos-
pel to them, and continue to advo-
cate the principles of truth, and to
organize ourselves according to the
order of God, and seek to be one —
for if we are not one we are not the
Lord's and never can be, worlds
without end. Hear it, you Latter-
day Saints ! And do not be figuring
for yourselves and for your own
aggrandizement ; but feel to say in
your hearts, "What can I do to
help to build up Zion. I am here,
and everything that I have got is
upon the altar, and I am prepared
to do the will i©f God no matter
what it may be,, or where it sends
me, to the ends of the earth or not."
But we are not doing that yet ; we
are too much after our own affairs
and drinking into the spirit of the
world, and yielding and catering to
that feeling and influence. Now,
while we wish the world well and
would desire to promote their happi-
ness, we cannot be governed by
their practices nor be under their
influences. God is the Lord our
God ; he is to be our king and law-
giver, and he must rule over us.
We must not permit ourselves to
conform to the ideas, notions, dog-
mas, theories nor the wickedness
that exists in the world, and of
which there is too much already
among us. But to the contrary,
battle against these evils, continuing
the warfare until we purge them
from us, and call upon the Lord to
assist us, and to lead us in the paths
of life, and to enable us to compre-
hend to some degree the position we
occupy to him, and the magnitude
of that priesthood that has been con-
ferred upon us.
What will you do with the worldl
I was talking with a gentleman
lately who thought because of cer-
tain inimical legiBlation that had
been manifested towards us, that we
should feel at enmity against our
government. I told him that he
was laboring under a very great
mistake ; that there was not a more
loyal, patriotic feeling fpeople in the
United States than the Latter-day
Saints are. But have they not done
so and so to you? Yes, but the Lord
has guided us, and we can put our
trust in him and wait his time. We
are not in a hurry ; he will bring
things about in his own way, and
will abundantly fulfil the words of
the Psalmist — " Surely the wrath of
man shall praise thee, the remainder
of wrath shalt thou restrain." Some
men seem to think that we are going
to be swallowed up ; but we are not
very much alaimed about it. We
have been " swallowed up" a great
many times, but they have generally
managed to vomit us up again.
[Laughter.] Among the legislators
of our nation and throughout the
land, there are many high-minded,
honorable men, who desire to see all
men protected in their rights, but
because there are a great many who
are not and who feel otherwise, and
who do not understand us, should
we entertain feeUngs of enmity?
What was the message that Jesus
came to perform 1 *' Go ye into all
the world and preach the Gospel to
every creature ; he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved," etc.
What have we been told to do?
To go into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature ; he
that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved he that believeth not shall
be damned. We go and offer the
message of life and salvation. How
THE GRBAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH, ETC.
255
many of the^e grey-headed men
wbom I see around me to-day that
have travelled thousands of miles in
order to promote the welfare of the
human family. I have travelled
hundreds of thousands of miles my-
self. And did he ever forsake me 1
Never; he viras always true to his
word. And when you elders have
gone forth he has been true to you.
And when people have believed, re-
pented and obeyed the message you
bore to them, and you laid your
hands upon them to confirm them
members in this Church, and said,
" Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; they
received it. Is not that proof that
God has been with youl Yes, it
is. Will he not be with us to the
end? Yes. What is our message
to the people 1 Peace on earth and
good will to man, and seek to pro-
mote the welfare and happiness of
the human family, in every possible
way that we can. And we ought
to feel to endure as Jesus did the
contumely of sinners until the Lord
shall say : " Stop it is enough."
They will have hard enough times
of it. Do we need to seek or injure
anybody] No. Is that our mission]
No ; but to seek to promote the wel-
fare of all men.
Well, we are here iu a political
capacity as well. We are an integral
pajt of the United States — a very
small part What shaU we dol
Why live so that no man can bring
any reproach against us ; treat all
men light, deal honestly with one
another, and with all men, and be
true to GoTi-and your religion. If
we do this then we have a claim
upon God ; then we shall be blessed
of the Lord and our offspring with
us; then the Almighty will smile
upon us, and then we shall advance
from wisdom to wisdom, frotn intelli-
gence to intelligence and knowledge to
knowledge, until we shall see as we
are seen and know as we are known.
And we wiU go on performing the
work God has placed upon us ; and
we will continue to teach and in-
struct and educate and elevate our
children ; and also teach all men who
will be taught by us, the principles
of life ; and by and by God will work
with us in a more powerful manner
than he has done yet ; and thousands
upon thousands will flock to the
standard of Zion, and many will
come and say, "we do not know much
about your religion, but you are an
honorable people and exceute justice
and we want to be governed by
those principles and be under their
influence ; and if we cannot endorse
your religious views, we seek your
protection and want to be one with
you." You will find hundreds and
thousands of people will yet come in
this way, and many are pretty near
it now. But we are not prepared ;
we sometimes pull and haul, and
talk and get hard feelings and seek
to tear in pieces and destroy, and
carry out our own ideas and will. I
have no will of my own ; I do not
want a will of my own ; I want to
know the will of God, and then do
it. Don't you] We ought to do it ;
and let our own feelings and judg-
ment be emerged in the will of
God, and seek to carry out his pur-'
poses. As seventies go torth and be
ready to go to the ends of the earth
at the drop of the hat, when re-
quired to fulfil any mission that
may devolve upon you, or that you
may be called to, and consider this
your mission of life, you seventies,
do you hear it ] I tell you that this
is the will of God concerning you,
and not to consider how you can fix
yourselves and make yourselves com-
fortable; but attend to the other
first, and be on hand to do that, and
then it will be all right.
May God help us to do right and
256
JOUBNAL OF DISC0UBSB8.
keep his commandments, that we
may have his spirit to be with
us and live in the enjoyment of
the same, and be saved in his
kingdom, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
DsLivEBiBD IN The Tabernacle, Salt Lakb City, Sunday Afternoon,
June 13th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE POWER OF GOD TO COMMUNICATE INTELLIGENCE — ^DIFFERENCE IN
CAPACITY BETWEEN THE MORTAL AND THE IMMORTAL — THE FUTURB
OF MAN, ETC.
I shall endeavor to occupy a few
moments of time, and perhaps I
may. continue my remarks until it is
time to close the meeting. I wish I
enjoyed better health; I should then
feel more like speaking. But as it
is, I feel willing to exert myself as
£Eur as possible, and also to bring my
mind to bear upon the great subject
of salvation, and the principles that
pertain to eternal life and happiness
in the world to come. It is difScult,
sometimes, for a person who does
not feel well in body, to concentrate
his mind upon those subjects which
will be edifying and instructive to
the people.
It gives me great joy and pleasure,,
at all times, when I have the oppor-
tunity to express myself in regard
to the great and important woik,
which our Father in heaven has
seen proper to commence in our day.
We have been made partakers, in a
measure, of the spirit of the living
God, pertaining to this last dispenser
tion. This spirit, when received,
and when we give it our attention,
and bring our minds to bear upon
the object of its operations, is calcu-
lated to instruct and impart much
information and knowledge to both
male and female who are in the pos-
session of it. The Spirit of God is a
spirit of revelation. It always .was
a spirit that revealed something to
the human family, when manfind
were in possession of it. There have
been, however, many ages since the
commencement of the world, when
the children of men have so far
wandered from the Almighty, so far
departed ^m his ordinances and
precepts, that the spirit of revelation
has not had place within tkem. The
world may be considered in a woeful
state of darkness and unbelief, when-*
ever this great and glorious gift is
withdrawn from the children of
men; for without this gift, without
THE POWER OF GOD, ETC.
.■^A
2ST
this spirit, without revelation from
the Most High, it is utterly impossi-
hle for the human family to be saved
in the celestial kingdom of our Fa-
ther and God. Perhaps some may
think that this is a very broad state-
ment. They will refer back to the
last sixteen or seventeen centuries,
and will say, that our fathers have
not enjoyed the spirit of revelation,
during that time, and if your state-
ment, Mr. Pratt, be true, our fathers
are not saved in the celestial king-
dom of God. I do not say that our
fathers will all be sent to an endless
hell. I have made no such assertion.
I do not say that they will receive
no happiness, no glory, no reward in
the world to come; I have made no
such assertion j but understand my
assertion, that if the world have not
been in the possession of divine rev-
elation directly to themselves, dur-
ing this long period of time, then
there have none of them been saved
in the celestial kingdom of our Fa-
ther and God. Now I hope that you
have understood me. There is quite
a difference between being saved in
some kingdom, where there is some
glory, some happiness, and being
saved in the kingdom where our
Father resides. There is only one
way to obtain this kingdom — the
kingdom that is represented, in its
glory, by one of the most brilliant
luminaries that shines in yonder
heavens, namely, the sun. We are
told by our Saviour that those who
obey his commandments shall shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom of
our Father. The Apostle Paul in-
forms us that there are in the eternal
worlds many different kinds of glory.
Tn the 15th chapter of his first epis-
tle to the Corinthians, he says, that
"there is on« glory of the sun, and
another glory of the moon, and an-
other glory of the stars; for one star
differeth from another star in glory.
No. 17.
So also is the resurrection of the
dead." They do not all rise to the
same glory, nor to the same happii
ness, nor to the same fulness, nor to
the same kingdom ; but they arfed.
from their graves, and come forth-^
those who are counted worthy of
any kind of glory — ^to receive that
which they are worthy of, all that
they have lived for, and nothing
more.
Our Father who dwells in yondet
heavens, and his Son Jesus Christ,
inhabit the highest degree of glory
in eternity. They are possessed of
all the fullness of glory. They have
a fullness of happiness, a fullness of
power, a fullness of intelligence,
light and truth, and they bear rule
over all other kingdoms of inferior
glory, of inferior happiness, and of
inferior power. Their glory is like
that of the sun, or at least, the sun
being the most conspicuous body
with which we are immediately ac-
quainted, in regard to its glory, it is
referred to as being typical of the
highest degree of glory in the heav-
ens. The Gospel is intended to exalt
the children of men to that same
degree of glory, where our Father
and where his Son reside. Hence
it is said by our Savior, just as he
was taking leave of his apostles in
ancient times, "Let not your heart
be troubled ; ye believe in God, be-
lieve also in me. In my Father's
house are many mansions : if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you. And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also." There is a mansion
where he dwells. Where this man-
sion is located in the midst of the
vast surrounding ' space, has not
been revealed to us. Itmayiiave'
been revealed in former ages of the
world, but to us, as Latter-day
Vol. XXL
358
JOI7BN4L OF DISCOURSES.
Saints, we have no revelation con-
ceriiing its location. But there is a
Ipcation, where these two glorious
personages dwell. It has a location,
just as much as our earth has a lo-
cation in the solar system. But
when I speak of our Father and our
God being located in a glorious man-
sion, or celestial world, I do not wish
to 1 e understood that he is confined
to til at location. Do not misappre-
hend I the subject. He is not con-
fined to that particular locality, in
"the midst of universal space. He
has power whicli we are not in pos-
session of. He has power to waft
himself from that pjirticular locality
to other dominions, other worlds,
other creations; and to do this with
an inimence velocity. Of course, to
accomplish this must occupy time.
There are some, however, so foolish
in their ideas that they suppose that
it does not require time for the Al-
mighty to go from world to world,
or lor any celestial messenger to do
ap. But this is a grand mistake. Time
is included in aU motion. Time is
included between the event of a
teavenly being leaving the celestial
abode, where he dwells, and going
to some other abode at a distance.
Bow great this time may be is not
revealed; but I have an idea that it
is much swifter than any velocity
with which we are familiar; I mean
the velocity with which our Father
^d Grod can convey himself from
ijhe celestial abode where he dwells
tp some other kingdom. I believe it
1^ be much swifter than that of the
common light which shines from
tiie heavenly bodies of our system,
or . from the distant bodies of the
slellar system. Now, light travels
•v^th immence velocity — 185,000
imles in one beat of the pulse, or in
aliout one second of time. We might
suppose that that is about as swift as
a^y being would want to be wafted«
But suppose that our Father, in the
heavenly world where he dwells,
^ould feel disposed to visit one of
the vast dominions of his great cre-
tion as far distant as the nearest
fixed star. If he could go no faster
than light is transmitted through
space, it would take him three and
a half years to perform the journey.
And to go to one that was situated
some ten or fifteen times further off,
it would take, of course, ten or fif-
teen tinces longer. And to go to
some which are as far off from him
as the distant creations that are just
visible through our most powerful
telescopes, it would take him six
hundred thousand years to perform
the journey, provided his velocity
was only equal to that of light. I
draw the conclusion, therefore, that
God is not confined to the velocity
of light, or to any other velocity
with which we are accuainted — that
he can go with immence velocity,
perhaps thousands and hundreds of
thousands of times swifter than that
of light, if he feels disposed so to do.
It is out of the question for us to
suppose that God does not travel in
going from creation to creation. That
he could be momentarily and in-
stantaneously in two creations at
the same time is something that I
never could comprehend, although
it is believed in by some of the re-
ligious professors of the present day.
They believe that God, in his per-
son, can be in infinite sp^ce all at the
same moment That is not our doc-
trine. It is not my doctrine, at
least. He may be, by his power, by
his intelligence, by his spirit, in in-
finite space, working throughout all
the vast dominions of space, accord-
ing to laws he has ordained and in-
stituted.
Having said so much, in regard to
the locality of our Heavenly Father,
and of the celestial beings who dwell
THE POWEE OF GOD, ETC
259
in the same abode, or in the same
mansions \yhere he resides, let me
now say a few words more in regard
to his presence being everywhere. I
cannot, for a moment suppose, and I
do not believe that any intelligent
being who exercises his intelligence,
independently of tlie traditions of
the children of men, can suppose,
that a person can be everywhere
present at the same instant. *'But,"
inquires one, ^^when a good man dies,
passes out of this body of flesh and
bones, it is said that he is in the pre-
rence of God. Does this mean that
he has actually gone from his taber-
nacle, perhaps millions and millions
and unnumbered millions of miles,
to the abode or mansion where Jesus
is, because he is in the precence of
God I" No; I do not look at it in this
way, I look at it in this light : if this
world iu which we dwell had the
vail withdrawn from off its face, and
the vail taken away from our faces, J
consider that we would see the Lord,
however far distant he might be;
hence we would be in his presence ;
and on the other hand, those who
dwell in his abode, however distant,
can see us ; for there is no vail over
lus face, no vail over the celestial
abode of our Father and God, and
there being no vail over him, nor
over the beings that dwell in his
abode, they can behold the most
distant creations, which they have
made. Now, this is my view. I do
not say this is the view of the
Latter-day Saints, but my own in-
dividual views, in regard to these
matters. If then we pass out of
these bodies of ours, and the vail is
taken away, we aa:e in his presence,
ju9t as much as we would be if we
were wafted to the mansion where
he dwells: I have, no doubt, but
what we will be wafted (if we are
worthy) to that mansion, in due
time; but I say, that we are in the
presence of God, while our spirits are
yet here upon the earth; because the
vail is removed and our eyes can
pierce eternity, and eternal things.
Now, we have some examples of
this, Latter-day Saints : and I some-
times wonder, when we have such
plain examples as are to be had in
this book which I hold in my hand,
(The Pearl of Great Price) I some-
times wonder that people should be
so limited in their ideas and in their
views, concerning the future state of
man (I mean the glorified man), as
to suppose that he will be confined
in his vision to some particular lo-
cality, and that he will be something
similar to what we are here in this
mortal life. Now, even mortal men,
before they obtained immortality,
have enjoyed this spirit of seeing
things that were naturally supposed
to be utterly impossible. Who that
is acquainted with this book (the
Pearl of Great Price) has not read
with great and deep interest, the
words of that great man, Moses, be-
fore he was sent down t© Egypt to
redeem the Israelites 1 Who is there
among the readers of the Latter-day
Saints who cannot comprehend, in
some measure, how the vision of
that man was enlarged, while he
was yet here in a state of mortality]
He went up into the Mount to pray
to the Lord. The veil was removed.
The glory of God rested upon Moses^
and great and important things were
made manifest to him. All things
were not revealed; for he was inca-
pable of receiving all things while
yet a mortal being; But the Lord
saw proper to reveal some things ;
and Moses sought to kuow^ome other
things, but the Lord would not grant it
and told him that no man could behold
all his works, except he beheld all
his glory; and no man could behold
all his glory and afterwards remain
in the flesh upon the earth ; that is,
260
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ill the state of mortality. But, said
hfe, '* Moses, my sod, I will show un-
to thee some of the works of mine
hands. I will reveal unto you con-
' cerning the heaven that is over your
head, and this earth upon which
you dwell." And as the Lord talked
with Moses, the Spirit of God being
upon him, his eyes were opened, the
vail was taken away, and he saw the
w^ole earth, not merely the surface
of it, but the interior of it ; every
particle of it was before the eyes of
Moses. This, then, shows that there
is within encir of these mortal taber-
nacles a spirit, and this spirit, when
lit up by the Holy Spirit from on
high, has certain faculties and pow-
ers, far beyond that which we are
able to develop naturally here upon
the earth. We cannot, by our own
natural powers, discern one foot un-
derneath the surface of the earth.
We cannot discern through anything
that is opaque in its nature — any-
thing that will not admit the natural
light to be transmitted through is
substance. But still, we have the
faculties within us; we have the
power; there is merely an obstacle,
or obstruction, in the way ; and
when this obstruction is removed it
shows the godlike powers that are
planted within the tabernacles of
men, by which they can behold and
pierce those portions of creation that
are not d^scemable by the natural
man. This Moses obtained during
the few moments that he was thus
enwrapt in vision. He obtained
more information in those few mo-
ments than could be imparted in all
the universities and colleges that
ever existed, since the creation of
the world to the present day. We
mjay study the ponderous volumes
that are published by the learned,
and it takes a long time to grasp the
information that some very learned
men have- receivetl. But oh, how
different is the method of receiving
revelation, when it comes from the
Most High ! In a moment, as it
were, those faculties of ours that
have been lying dormant ever since
we were born into this world — those
faculties which are enshrouded with
the darkness of a fallen creation—
those faculties, when once illumi-
nated, when once touched by the fin-
ger of the Almighty, can pierce the
creations of the Almighty, so far as
he permits us to behold.
These things encourage me. I am
in hopes, when I get to the other
bide of the vail, that it will not be
so difficult for me to understfiiid the
different laws of science, and the
different laws and branches of edu-
cation, that are taught in this little
creation of ours. I am in hopes
that when my spirit shall launch
forth 'Out of this mortal tabernacle,
and go into the eternal M^orJd, that I
shall not, at that time, require Lord
Boss's great six feet telescope ; I am
in hopes that I shnll not need any of
the telescopes, or other instruments
invented in the nineteenth century;
but I am in hopes there will be a
telescope prepared for me, by which
I can see the vast creations of the
Almighty, and comprehend, in a
short period of time, more than
could be unfolded to the children of
mortality in a thousand 3'ears.
I mention this in order to bring
before the Latter-day Saints a prin-
ciple which, I think, we should all,
more or less, reflect upon. How en-
couraging it is to think we are not
always going to be bound down to
this slow process of gaining know-
ledge, and information, and >visdom,
pertaining to the works of the Al-
mighty ! How glorious it is also, to
reflect upon the celestial host, who
dwell in the fulness of celestial glory,
where there is no vail, and where
they have their bodies ; for some of
THE POWER OF GOD, ETC.
261
ihem have been raised from tht^
grave to immortality, and are clothed
upon \vitli,all the fuloesd of the at-
tributes 0$ the Father. I eay, how
glorious it is to reflect upon the
heights and depths and lengths and
breadths of knowledge that will then
be unfolded to the children of men !
These things, as I said before, inspire
my heart with joy. I do not confine
my hopes to the volumes of works
•on science, with which I may come
in contact here in this world ; I do
not confine my hopes to the slow
process of advancing in knowledge
and intelligence that the children of
this world liave ; but I look forward
to that higher school — that great
university which will scope in bound-
less and eternal space, that will scope
in the most distant creations that
we can imagine in the vast field of
eternity, in which we will be able to
comprehend those laws by which
the various creations are governed ;
not understand them as we now
compreheiid some few laws, but un-
derstand them in all their perfection
and fulness, being like unto our Fa-
ther and God, made like unto him,
fashioned like unto his glorious body,
and become indeed " sons of God."
Shall I go still further and say Gods]
Are we not the children of our Fa-
ther] Will not the children ascend
to the same height, to the same
glory, to the same celestial world,
,and to the same fullness of the at-
tributes of their Father ] Are not
our children, take them as a body,
qualified to come up to all the per-
fections and attributes of their fa-
thers, who came on the earth before
them] It seems to be a general law
that children will grow up and pos
*ess all of the perfections of their
parents, provided that they take the
necessary steps, and are favored with
long life, and have the natural intel-
ligence that i& common to man. If,
then, this seems to be a natural law
in regard, not only to man, but also
to all animated creation — that the
children come up and possess thp
perfections of their fathers before
them — may we not reason, by analo-
gy, that our Father who begat us— r
our Father who dwells in yondep:
celestial world, intends to make us
one with him, that we shall receive
the same fulness with him, that w^
shall partake of light, and trutl)^
and knowledge, and advance froiopi
grace to grace, as the revelation^ in
the Book of Covenants state, untij
we shall receive a fulness of a^l
truth ] Then will not this make ua,
in one sense of the word, sons of
God] Will it not make us Godis
also, according to the word of God %
" But," inquires one, "how can two
persons possess the same attributets
without quarreling with each other ?'
That is not the order of heaven.
That is not the pure law that Go^
has ordained, that there shouM be
quarrels with those that have tl>e
same degree of intelligence ; but the
law is that they shall become one, as
^' I and my Father ar^ one, so that
these my brethren may also become
one in us as we are one." That is
the law ; and if they are one there
will be as much unity between hip
children who are exalted to that higl^
condition in the celestial glory, a|3
there is a unity and oneness between
the Father and his only begotte^
Son. Have tiiey any quarrel?
Have they any difiiculties ] Have
they any difference of views ] Do^
one intend to carry on one govern-
ment, and another a different kind
of government] No; whatever i^
the will of the Father, is the will c^
the Son ; whatever the Father is pre-
pared to do, throughout all his vast
dominions, the Son is in accord with
him ; and whatever the Father de-
sires to perform and accomplish, hjp
262
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
children Avho are made like him and
one with them, will take hold and
perform the same work, with all
that Tinity and oneness which exist
"between the Father and the Son.
In the celestial glory they are made
"equal in oneness, in power, in know-
ledge, and in all perfections ; and the
Lord their God is with them, and
they are one with him, to carry on
all his purposes, and will be one with
him throughout all the future ages
of eternity.
I thought perhaps the time was
expired ; but I will say a few more
■words in regard to this great glory,
this high destiny prepared for the
sons of God. I told you that our
process of gaining information would
be very rapid — would be immense in
its growth, and that we should have
the faculties within us developed to
the highest degree. But now let us
for a few moments, look into this
high state of perfection. When our
faculties are thus developed, and
when we have all the wisdom that I
have been speaking of, that dwells
in the bosom of celestial beings, in
the eternal worlds, what will we do
with this wisdom 1 Will we fold up
eur arms, and remain throughout all
the future ages of eternity, in per-
fect indifference and laziness, with-
out anything to accomplish or per-
form ? No ; we will have works as-
signed to us to perform in the eter-
nal worlds, that will be proportionate
to all the fulness of that glory and
knowled.£:e which we are endowed
with. Did the sons of God in ancient
times, come forth and assist in the
formation of this little creation of
ours? Did they all shout for joy
when the materials were brought to-
gether, and when the foundations of
the earth were laid 1 Did they all
feel happy and sing a song of rejoic-
ing, and with great joy ; did they
look upon the works which they
were performing ? Yes. Jesus was
there — ^the First Bom of this great
family of our Father in heaven. He
had the superintendence of this crea^
tion. He had the power, because
the power dwelt within him, to build
this earth of ours, the same as you
give to your superintendent power
to build your temples, about which
Brother Kich has 'been speaking. It
is said that the worlds Were made
through our Lord Jesus Christ. But
do you suppose that he alone made
themi No ; he had the sons and
daughters of God with him. And
there were prophets in those days,
before our earth was made. They
shouted for joy when they saw the
neucleus of this creation formed.
Why 1 Because they could look into
the future, and by the spirit of pro-
phecy, behold the designs and pur-
poses of the great Jehovah in regard
to the creation which they were then
in the act of forming. Did they not
understand that they would have the
privilege of coming forth and people-
ing this earth 1 Yes. Did they not
understand that they were to pass
through a probation on this earth,
the same as we are now passing
through, in order to prepare them
for a still higher exaltation and glory,
with immortal bodies of flesh and
bones 1 Yes ; they understood these
things, hence their joy, when they
saw the creation being formed for
them. I mention this, in order to
show to the Latter-day Saints that
the great work that will be entrusted
to those who are prepared, "wdll be
proportionate to the wisdom, intelli-
gence and understanding that wiH
be imparted to those who enter into
the fulness of the glory of the celes-
tial kingdom. They will not re-
main in idleness to all eternity. They
will iiave a work to perform. They
will form worlds under the direction,
no doubt, of those that may be ap-
THE POWER OF QOD, BTO.
263
pointed to superintend works of
such vast magnitude. Furthermore,
when they have formed these worlds,
they will set them in motion in the
midst of universal space, in some
location, where they can continue
their mission, and where all neces-
sary things shall be fulfilled and
accomplished during the days of the
probation of these various creations.
There will be laws given to govern
these new creations, the same as
there are laws given to govern
the creations with which we
are surrounded. The inhabitants
upon these creations will be visited
from time to time by those that
have taken part in the great work of
their formation. The inhabitants
thereof will be dealt with according
to law. They will be intelligent
beings. They will have their agen-
cy, and they will pass through their
probation the same as the people are
now passing through their probations
here in this world. Everything will
be accomplished according to laws
that shall be ordained when these
creations are made. Will they visit
these creations ) Yes; for they will
have the same power of locomotion,
the same power to pass through
space (almost in the twinkling of an
eye) that our Father has — that his
Son Jesus Christ has — that all celes-
tial beings who are exalted in his
presence have, and possessing the
power, they will visit from creation
to creation ; they will impart know-
ledge and understanding to their
children in these creations. They
will visit them with the light of
their countenances, and the children
of these creations will be made .tjlad
in their hour, in their times, and in
their seasons, by the light and coun-
teiianecs of the celestial beings who,
from time to time, organized them.
These are the high destinies that
await the Latter-clay Saints, if they
are faithful. These are the high
destinies into which many of the
Former-day Saints have already
entered. These are the great, and
choice, and exalted blessings in store
for all who will keep the command-
ments of our Father and Grod.
Amen.
:3§*
JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. Q. CANNON.
Delivered at Hyde Park, Sunday Evening, November 2nd, 1879
(Beporied by Geo, F. OU>hs.)
NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY — ^THE ISRAELITES AND THE
GENTILES.
I will read a portion of a revela-
tion given through the Prophet Jo-
seph Smith, previous to the organi-
^tion of the Church, dated April,
1829 : "Oliver Cowder, verily, verily,
I sjiy unto you, that assuredly as the
Lord liveth, who is your God and
-your Redeemer, even so surely shall
you receive a knowledge of whatso-
ever things you shall ask in faith
witli an honest heart, believing that
you shall receive a knowledge con-
cerning the engravings of old re-
cords, which are ancient, which con-
tain those parts of any Scripture of
which have been spoken by the man-
ifest-^iion of my Spiiit. Yea, behold
I w'U tell you in your mind and in
your heart, by the Holy Ghost,
which shall come upon you, and
which shall dwell in your heart.
revelation ; behold, this is the spirit
by which Moses brought the children
of Israel through the Red Sea on dry
ground."
The point I wish to call your at-
tention to is contained in the second
and third verses of this revelation.
The Latter-day Saints are in many
not Latter-day Saints. We are apt
to entertain views which are not very
correct, and which may be the result
of our traditions acd preconceived
ideas. This is a peculiarity that per-
tains to mankind generally, that
whenever they deal with the things
of God, or speak about thenl, or con-
template them, and especially when
they read the predictions made by
the servants of God concerning fu-
ture events, or events that may
transpire right before their eyes,
they are apt to get, sometimes, erro-
neous ideas, or, at least, exaggerated
ideas, in relation to them. The pro-
phets have foretold the events that
should take place in connection with
this work. There is one prophecy
that comes to my mind, recorded by
Isaiah and Micah, respecting the
Now, behold this is the * spirit Of' "btrilding of the house of God in the
top of the mountains and the gather-
ing of the people there, and the ob-
ject for which they should gather,
that they should come up and be
taught of the Lord, etc. Now it
might be supposed that when that
prediction would be fulfilled it would
be so prominent and remarkable in
respects like other people who are I the midst of the nations of the earth,
NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC.
265
that all the iuhabitauts thereof who
fihould witness it would say, " This
is the fulfillment of the predictions
of Isaiah and Micah." And it might
be thought that all the inhabitants
of the earth who witnessed it would
be convinced of the truth of it, and
would say, " We have no further
opposition to this work, because we
behold the fulfillment of the predic-
tions of those holy prophets whom
we have been taught to regard, and
whose writings we have read as au-
thority from God.
And, doubtless, there are many of
the Latter-day Saints who have
thought, in the early days of their
experience in this Church, when they
have lieard the elders predict con-
cerning the great events that should
take place in connection with this
work — they have thought and felt
in their hearts that when the wicked
and those who oppose this work
shouM see the fulfillment of these
predictions they would be constrained
to acknowledge that this is the work
of God, and would cease from hosti-
lity and opposition, and would say
they had been mistaken. For in-
stance, the elders in the early days
of this Church, predicted concerning
calamities and wars and troubles of
various kinds that would come upon
the inhabitants of the earth. There
was a revelation given to the Pro-
phet Joseph Smithy in December,
1832, concerning the war that should
take place between the Southern
States and the Northern States.
This was a definite prediction, stat-
ing the exact point where a certain
trouble or rebellion or division in
the nation should take place. Most
of us who have been brought up in
the Church knew about this revela
tion from early days. It has been
published so that all the members of
the Church, and the world also,
could have it, and it was but reason-
able to expect that so definite a pro-
phecy as this, which stated the exact
character of the difficulty that should
take place between the south and
the north, and that also stated with
such definiteness the exact point
where the division should occur — ^I
say it was but reasonable to expect
that when it should be fulfilled, it
would have the effect of convincing
unbelievers of the truth of the mis-
sion of Joseph Smith, and that he
really was a man inspired of the
Lord to speak the word of God to
the people.
In 18 GO, Brothers Orson Pratt,
Erastus Snow, myself, and others,
were going on missions, and we ar-
rived at Omaha in the month of
November of that year. A deputa-
tion of the leading citizens of that
city came to our camp and tendered
to us the use of the Court House, as
they wished to hear our principles.
The in\4tation was accepted, and
Elder Pratt preached to them. Du-
ring the service, there was read the
revelation to which I have rei erred
— the revelation concerning the divi-
sion between the South and the
North. The reason probably, for
reading it was that when we reached
Omaha, the news came that trouble
was alreading brewing, and several
States were threatening to secede
from the Union. Its reading made
considerable impression upon the
peoi^le. A good many had never
heard of it before, and quite a num-
ber were struck with the remarkable
character of the prophecy. It might
have been expected, naturally speak-
ing and looking at it as men natural-
ly do, that the reading of such a
revelation, at such a time, when the
crisis was approaching, would have
had the effect to direct men's atten-
tion to it, and they would be led to
investigate its truth and the doc-
trines of the Church and the found-
266
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ation we had for our belief. But if
there were any converted in that
audience I am not aware of it. Good
seed was sown, but we did not re-
main to see what effect it produced.
The revelation being so remarkable,
and the events then transpiring being
so corroborative of its truth, one
might naturally think, as there were
present on that occasion the leading
and thinking portion of that commu-
nity, that a great number would
have been impressed with the pro-
bability of its truth, and would have
investigated and joined the Church.
You doubtless remember it was for
a good while doubtful whether the
rebellion should commence at South
Carolina or not. I was in England
at the time, and was engaged in
publishing the Millennial Star, and
took a great deal of notice of the
American papers, and I well remem-
ber that to all human appearances it
seemed for a while as though the
trouble would break out at Fort
Pickens, Florida. But the word of
God had been spoken concerning that
event, and consequently it had to be
fulfilled as predicted, and the war
did commence at South Carolina. It
was fulfilled, as you all know, to the
very letter. Fort Sumter being the
place where the rebellion broke out.
Now, I allude to that, in connec-
tion with this subject, to show you
that not only is the world mistaken
in its views respecting the fulfill-
ment of the predictions of the pro-
phets, but even Latter-day Saints
have doubtless, in many instances,
entertained erroneous views respect-
ing the fulfillment of revelation and
prophecies of the Bible. I have no
doubt there are many here to-night,
who have had some experience in
this, and can look back at times in
their own lives, when they have
thought : "Surely when these things
which the prophets have foretold
are brought to pass, the people will
be convinced. My friends who now
ridicule me will then be convinced,
and they will be forced to confess that
I did right in embracing the Gospel."
No doubt there are some in this
audience to-night who have had these
ideas, and certainly there are good
reasons for entertaining them. But
experience has taught us that, while
there may be a few who, when they
have seen the predictions fulfilled,
have acknowledged that our course
is right, in the majority of cases
throughout the earth where the Gos-
pel has been preached, the fulfillment
of the predictions of the prophets
has not had the effect to convince
the people of the truth of the mini-
stry God has given unto us.
Even with this experience in the
past, the Latter-day Saints them-
selves are not entirely divested of
extravagant views respecting the
effects which are likely to follow the
fulfillment of predictions yet in the
future. Are we not all inclined to
look forward to many events which
have been predicted by the servants
of God as being of so great and won-
derful, and I may say so supernatu-
ral a character, that when they shall
be fulfilled they will even startle us,
who believe they are coming, and
will compel the unbelieving inhabi-
tants of the earth to accept them as
evidences of the truth? In our
thoughts this seems to be the natu-
ral tendency. I notice it in myself;
I notice it in others. When we
read respecting the great events
which are to take place in connection
with this work, as predicted in the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
are we not inclined to think that,
surely, when these things shall come
to pass all the earth, as well as our-
selves, will be constrained to acknow-
ledge this to be the work of Grod,
and these events to be indeed those
NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC.
267
which have been predicted by the
prophets ?
Now I would not, for the world,
say one word to lessen in the minds
of my brethren snd sisters the im-
portance of these events ; I would
not say one word to weaken your
proper expectations ; but my experi-
ence has taught me that the Lord
works in the midst of this people by
natural mean's, and that the greatest
events that have been spoken of by
the holy prophets will come along so
naturally as the consequence of cer-
tain causes, that unless our eyes are
enlightened by the Spirit of God,
and the spirit of revelation rests
us, we will fail to see that these are
the events predicted by the holy
prophets.
I refer you again to that prophecy
of Isaiah and Micah, respecting the
gathering together of the Israel of
Crod from the various nations to
Zion. As we read of that in the
Bible, we might think when that
was fulfilled it would be done with
such supernatural manifestations that
the people would be constrained to
acknowledge it was the work of God.
Yet we see it every day. Our peo-
ple are gathering, and men and wo-
men who emigrate bear testimony to
the friends they leave behind, in al-
most the exact language that the
prophets said they would, and yet it
is not thought very extraordinary.
Why is this ] Because it has come
along so naturally. And so with
the great events that will take place
in the future ; they will come along
in so natural a manner, the Lord will
bring them to pass in such a way
that they will not be accepted by the
people, except by those who can
comprehend the truth, as the fulfill-
ment of the predictions of the pro-
phets. It requires the Spirit of God
to enable men and women to under-
stand the things of God ; it requires
the Spirit of God to enable the peo-
ple to comprehend the work of God
and to perceive his movements and
providences among the children of
men. The man who is' destitute of
the Spirit of God cannot comprehend
the work of God. A woman whose
mind has not been enlightend by
that Spirit, cannot see or compre-
hend any of these events that take
place in fulfillment of the prophecies
of the holy prophets.
You take two persons, one who
has the Spirit of God, whose mind
is enlightened by that Spirit, — the
spirit of revelation, the same spirit
that rested upon the prophets who
wrote the revelations and prophecies
we have — you take a man of that
kind, and then take another who
has none of that spirit, and put the
two together, and the one man's
eyes will be open to see the hand of
God in all these events ; he will no-
tice his movements and his provi-
dence in everything connected with
his work and they will be testimo-
nies to him to strengthen his faith
and to furnish his mind with conti-
nual reasons for giving thanks to
and worshipping God; while the
man, who has not the Spirit of God,
will see noticing Godlike in the oc-
currences : nothing which he will,
view as supernatural (as many sup-
pose everything which exhibits God's
power to be), or nothing which he
will accept as a fulfillment of prophe-
cies; his eyes will be closed, his
heart will be hardened, and to all
the evidences of the divinity of these
things he will be impenetrable.
To those who have mingled with
the world the reasons for this are
very plain. Men do not believe in
these days in the direct interposition
of God in the affairs of men. If
they even believe in God, they be-
lieve that he governs the universe-
by great natural laws. When, ther*^
sies
JOIKNAL OK DISCOURSKS
fore, a great aud wonderful event
•occurs, they seek for its origin and
explanation in some natural law.
They ignore the fact that God works
through natural laws ; but seem to
think tiiat if he were to interpose at
all, it would be by manifesting his
jpower through the suspension of
naturjd laws, by overriding and vio-
lating them, and in such a super-
natural manner that mankind would
be compelled to acknowledge it was
his act, as they would be utterly un-
able to account for it by any laws
known to them, or in any other way
than as being through his power.
Wars, famines, pestilences, cyclones,
earthquakes, and the great variety
of calamities which God has said
shall be poured out upon the wicked
nations, are therefore looked upon
by men generally in these days as
the results of certain well-defined
and easily explained causes. When
any of these calamities visit a city
"or a nation they immediately com-
mence to investignte the laws which
govern them, and by the violation of
which they assert tliey are produced ;
and when they discover what they
allege is the cause, they triumphant
ly point to it, and that is sufficient
proof that the Lord has nothing spe-
•cial to do with it ; for if It were a
visitation from him, it is supposed it
would be so supernatural as to be in-
explicable. And thus men go on,
hardening their hearts and denying
God's power, until they will be so
-completely given over to the evil
-one, that he will lead them captive
according to his will.
My reason for calling your atten-
tion to the word of the Lord I have
read to you is, that I have sometimes
thought that our people do not ap-
preciate as they should do the spirit
of revelation, the spirit of prophecy,
the power of God, that has been
poured out upon us as a people.
The fact seems to be overlooked that
it was in the manner in which the
Lord tells Oliver Cowdery that Mo-
ses brought the children of Israel
through the Red Sea ,on dry ground.
The Lord said to Oliver : " I will
tell you in your mind and in your
heart, by the Holy Ghost, which
shall come upon you, and which shall
dwell in your heart. Now, behold,
this is the spirit of revelation ; be-
hold, this is the spirit by which
Moses brought the children of Israel
through the Bed Sea pn dry ground."
How many of the Latter-day Saints
are there who understand that this
is the way in which Moses led the
children of Israel so miraculously?
How many are there who think that
if we had a man like Moses among
us, the people would be led differently
and with greater manifestations of
power than they are 1 How manv
JVre there who are dissatisfied with
what God is doing at present, and
are looking for some one to appear
in the future who shall exhibit con-
vincing and overwhelming manifest-
ations of power*? How many are
there at the present time who are
neglecting the precious and inestima-
ble gift of revelation which God has
bestowed upon his people, because it
does not come to them in the way to
suit their preconceived notions and
ideas — or who are not suited with
the way the Church has been and is
led, because there is not that won-
derful degree of power exhibited
which they imagine should be ]
Apostates have asserted that there
was not the power in the leaders of
the Church which there should be.
They said so during the life of the
Prophet Joseph, asserting that he
was a fallen prophet. After his death
they made the same statements re-
specting President Young, his coun-
selors, and the Twelve Apostles.
And, if I am not mistaken, there are
NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC.
26»
some members of the Church who
have appeared to think that there
has been some power lacking, and
have manifested a feeling of restless-
ness, anticipating the rising of some
one who should have greater autho-
rity than at present exists. While I
would not wish to detract from the
reasonable expectations of my bre-
thren and sisters upon this or any
other point, my view is that the
apostleship, now held in this Church,
embodies all the authority bestowed
by the Lord upon man in the flesh.
Yet I believe that the power of Go«l
will be increased among us, that we
will have manifestationsof his power
such as we never have before witnes-
sed. For the day of God's power in
the redemption of Zion will come.
But I do not expect that to come
upon us all of a sudden. I expect
that it will be the natural result of
the natural growth of thepeople in the
things of God. I expect that we will
go on step by step from one degree
of knowledge, and of power, and
of faith to another, until we shall be
prepared to receive all the Lord has
in store for us and be prepared to en-
ter into that glory promised to the
faithful Saints. The Lord has given
unto his people and to his church
every gift and every qualification
and every key which is necessary to
lead this people into the celestial
kingdom of our father and our God.
There is nothing wanting- When
the Lord restored the Apostleship
to the earth he restored all the
power that was possible for a human
being to hold in the flesh. When
he restored the keys of the holy
priesthood unto his servant Joseph,
when he gave unto him the sealing
powers, when he gave unto him the
endowments and the keys of the
holy priesthood associated therewith,
when the Prophet Joseph received
the keys from Elijah, and from all
the prophets that had existed upon
the earth from the beginning down
— each one, as he says himself in
one of his epistles — each one in his
dispensation coming forward and
bestowing upon him the authority
pertaining thereto, there -was em-
bodied in him all the priesthood they
held, and he bestowed upon his
fellow Apostles all the priesthood ho
exercised and all the power and
authority bestowed upon mortid man
to exercise here upon the earth, so
far as the present is concerned, that
is, all the keys of the priesthood and
everything that is necessary in this
preparatory state, and to make man
a fit subject for the celestial king-
dom of God. By the command of
the Lord he conferred that authority
upon his fellew servants to bind
upon earth and it should be bound in
heaven, to seal the children to the
father and the mother, and to seal
the wife to the husband, and to weld
all the links necessary in order to
complete the salvation of all the
children of men from the days of
Adam down to our day, and also to
prepare men and women for the fu-
ture that lies before us, the millen-
nium to which we are all hastening.
Who can conceive of any power that
was lacking! Who had power to
promise unto man that they should
be kings and priests unto God ?
And in addition to that, who had the
power- to seal upon them the actual
kingly and priestly dignity and con-
firm upon them the fulness of it,
and also to give them promises re-
specting the Godhead that should
be fulfilled upon them, and if
faithful, to come forth in the morn-
ing of the first resurrection ? Now,
there was nothing lacking, and
there was no power, there was no
gift, there was no authority, there
were no keys lacking, and these keys
have been handed down through '
270
JOURNAL OF DISOOUKSES.
him. Others may have claimed to
have had them. We have had
Strang, John E. Page, William
Smith, Gladden Bishop, and a host
of others ; each has claimed to have
received that authority, either
through Joseph Smith or from some
other source. Some have claimed
that Joseph was a fallen prophet ;
and some have set up one claim and
some another. But the fact remains
that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, as it is organized
in these mountains, has had the
apostleship ; that the men who- have
stood at our head. President Young
and tlie Twelve Apostles, whose
President at the death of the Pro-
phet Joseph he was, actually received
under the hands of the Prophet
Joseph, every key, and power, and
authority that he himself possessed,
aiiid that they actually did take hold
and complete the temple he started,
and endowed their fellow servants
therein with the same authority and
the same priestly and kingly dignity
that they had received from under
his hands. And from that time to
the present this work has gone forth
with might and power, and the
power of God has attended the labors
of his servants who have been, sent
forth by these apostles, chosen by
revelation to take charge of this
work ; everything they have done
God has blessed. They have gath-
ered the people together, they have
led the people, they have been de-
livered by the mighty j^ower of God
when it seemed that thev would be
overwhelmed by opposing influences.
They have gathered the people toge-
ther from the nations of the earth in
fulfillment of the predictions of the
holy prophets. Not only that, but
they have laid the foundations of
temj)les here ; one temple, at least,
has been completed, while three
others are in process of erection.
which we hope will soon be com-
pleted, into which buildings the
Saints of God can enter and receive
their endowments, receive their
washings and anointings and sealings
and ordinances, and have the keys
of the holy priesthood bestowed upon
them, which they can exercise in the
right way for the building up of the
work of God. And this is the work
of God, although men may say there
has been no supernatural manifesta-
tion of power, such as some suppose
ought to attend his work. This
work has gone forth with a rapidity
and impetus that has been irresista-
ble, and there is no power able to
stand against it. It has gone for-
ward to the fulfilment of all that has
been spoken thus far concerning it,
that is as far as we have gone. And
the people have received the Holy
Ghost, they have been filled witli
it, they have been filled with the
spirit of revelation. The same
spirit ot revelation that Moses had,
concerning which God speaks through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, has rest-
ed upon men that have held the keys
of this kingdom, whether it was du-
ring President Young's life or at the
present time_that same spirit of
revelation rests upon him who holds
the presidency as senior apostle in
the midst of the people of God. The
apostles of this Church have all the
authority, tliey have all the keys,
and it is within the purview of their
office and calling to have all the spirit
of revelation necessary to lead this
people into the presence of the
Lamb in the celestial kingdom of
our God.
I have desired to say this much,
because I have felt at times there
was a feeling among some people
that there was not that manifesta-
tion of power, neither was there that
authority wielded by the men who
preside over this Church and king-
NATURAL FITLFILLMKNT OF PROPHECY, ETC.
27
dom that should be.
But it is the truth, that the same
spirit of revelation that rested upon
Mose5-', and which enabled him to
lead ihe children of Israel through
the Red Sea, rests upon the servants
of (lod in the midst of this people,
and you will find it so to your entire
satisfaction if you will listen to their
counsels and be guided by them.
Does God reveal hunself to his ser-
vants nowl 1 know he does. The
same spirit that rested upon Joseph
— the same spirit tliat rested upon
Moses, I know it is in the midst of
the Latter-day Saints — precisely the
same spirit. But then we are a
nation of Gentiles. We who have
come here, what are we ] We are
called from the Gentile nations.
The promises are not made to us
that are made to people who are the
unmixed descendants of Israel. Id
many respects, when they come into
the covenant and are baptized, and
the j)ower of God rests upon them,
you ^vill see a different work than
you see at the present time.
It is just as much as we, with our
Gentile traditions — an inheritance
we have received from our fathers,
which have come down through
generations— it is as much as many
of us can do, with all the power we
can exercise, to remain in the
Church.
I was speaking with Brother
Simpson Molen this evening, who,
as yuu know has latetly returned
from a mission to -the Sandwich
Islantls. It is now 29 years since
the Gospel was introduced to the
people of that country. I labored
there for four or five years, and was
the first to preach the Gospel to
them in their language in this gene-
ration. During my experience among
that people, a red skinned race, I
never knew a man, because of trans-
gresiiion or anything else, after he
received the truth — I never knew
one of them to turn around and fight
this cause in the manner that we
witness men doing among our race.
How is it with the Gentiles, the
race of which we are a part 1 When a
man gets a testimony from God and
falls into transgression he is almost
immediately seized with the spirit
of murder. He wants to shed the
blood of innocence. He wants to
kill the servants of God, is full of
bitterness and hatred, and seeks to
find vent for his wicked passions.
We have seen this spirit manifested
in our history among our own race.
But here is a people who receive
strong testeraouies concerning the
Gospel, and from all that I can
learn there has not been an instance
of a man's turning around and bit-
terly fighting this work. There
seems to be a natural receptiveness
about them to receive the truth.
The Indians will be the same in my
opinion. You will find the same
peculiarity, you will find them ready
to receive the truth, and they will
cleave to the truth. It is difficult
for the Gentiles to recieve the truth.
It will be easier for them, because
unto them are the promises. I look
for a very different condition of
things when these races come into
the church and are brought into the
covenant. I expect then to see the
work accomplished by a power that
we do not witness just now. But it
is not because something is lacking
in the organization or in the author-
ity of the priesthood. We have, as I
have said, all that is necessary, and
we have this spirit (5f which I have .
spoken and which is alluded to in
this revelation — the same spirit of
revelation which reveals to us that
which we should do and the course
we should take in order to please the
Lord and in order to build up his
kingdom, and this Church will al-
272
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
ways be led by that authority from
this time henceforth until Christ
himself shall come to preside over us
and be our king.
My brethren and sisters, if you
want more revelation, here is the
principle upon which to obtain it.
Are you entitled to it 1 Yes, every
one of you — the same spirit of reve-
lation that Moses had, the same
spirit that all the prophets and
apostles had, it is your privilege, it
is my privUege, it is the privilege of
every man and woman who possesses
the Gospel to receive the spirit of
God, the Holy Ghost, to have that
same spirit resting upon him and
upon her, and the more we seek
after it and cherish it the more we
will have.
My time is exhausted. I pray
God to bless us and fill us continu-
ally with the light of that spirit, in
the name of Jesus. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
June 20th, 1880.
(Repoiied by John Irvine,)
THE gathering OF THE SAINTS — ^THEIR SUFFERINGS — ^ANCIENT PREDIC-
TIONS fulfilled— CRICKETS AND THEIR MIRACULOUS DESTRUCTION-
CROPS SAVED — DESERT MADE FRUITFUL — GOD'S KINGDOM IN THE
MOUNTAINS — ITS FUTURE DESTINY — ^THE COMING OF THE LORD.
I ^vill call the attention of the
congregation to a few verses, con-
tained in the 50th Psalm, and the
first six verses: *'The mighty God,
even the Lord, hath spoken, and
called the earth from the rising
of the sun unto the going down
thereof. Out of Zion, the perfec-
tion of beauty, Qod hath shined.
Our God shall some, and shall not
keep silence : a fire shall devour be*
fore him, and it shall be very tem-
pestouous round about him. He
shall call to the heavens from above^
and to the oarth, that he may judger
his people. Gather my saints to«^
THE GATHERING 07 THE SAINTS, ETC.
273
gether unto me; those that have
made a covenant with me by sacri-
fice. And the heavens shall declare
his righteousness : for God is judge
himself." It is very evident that
the Psalmist, when writing these
words, must have been inspired of
the living God ; for the events, here
foretold, are clearly set forth in many
other parts of the sacred scriptures.
Two very important events are
announced here ; one is, the gather-
ing of the Saints, — those who have
made a covenant with the Lord by
sacrifice ; — and another is the coming
of the Lord, not his first coming, but
his second advent, when a fire shall
devour before him, and it shall be
very tempestuous round about him ;
when he shall, in other words, come
in his majesty, in his power, in great
glory, or, as the apostle Paul expres-
ses it in one of his epistles to the
Thessalonians, "he shall be revealed
from heaven, with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Je-
sus Christ." There seems to be con-
nected with this advent of the Lord
from the heavens, great power ; his
arm is to be made manifest before
all people. Preparatory to this great
event, there will be a universal gath-
ering of the Saints from the four
quarters of the earth. It is one of
the signs preceding tte second ad
vent. It is clearly foretold by many
of the prophets. David alludes to
it, not only in this Psalm, but in
many parts of his Psalms. The
Spirit of God seems to have moved
upon him to portray more or less
the great work of the gathering of
the Saints in the last days. Many
suppose that he will come and find
the Saints scattered all over the
world, not gathered into any special
country; but it is evident that those
who have taken this view of the
No. 18.
subject don't understand the Scrip-
ture writings. Nothing is plainer
in all the sacred Scriptures than tho
gathering of the people of God. The
apostle Paul, in the first chapter of
his epistle to the Ephesians, propho:
cies '^ that in the dispensation of the
fulness of times, he might gather
together in one aJl things in Christy
both which are in heaven and which
are on earth." It seems to be a new
dispensation, a dispensation that ib
characterized by the words " fulnesd
of times." Wlien these times shall
be fulfilled : when the day shall
come for this great preparatory
wurk to take place, the Lord wiu
signify it, by speaking from the hea-
vens ; or, as it is here stated, in the
fourth verse of this Psalm which I
have just read, " he shall call to the
heavens from above, and to the
earth, that he may judge his people.
Gather my Saints togeuier unto me;
those that have made a covenant
with me by sacrifice." From this
we draw the conclusion, that when
the dispensation shall be fully usher-
ed in : when the time for the great
preparatory work shall take places
the heavens will no longer be sealed
up, but the Lord will a^ain spea^
will call to the heavens, call upon
his angels, call upon the ancient pro*
phets who have died and gone the.
way of the whole earth, and are
dwelling in the heavens, to do the
work assi^ed to them, in the great
and last dispensation of the fulness
of times, in bringing about the gath-
ering and restitution of his piiople
upon the face of the earth. David«
in the 107th Psalm, has very clearl|r
portrayed this wonderful and great
event. Perhaps it may be well fo^
us to read the exact. words. He
commences the Psalm thus : " O
give thanks unto the Lord, for he is
good : for his mercy endure rU for
ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord
Vol. XXI.
274
JOURNAL OF DISCOtTRSKS.
say so, whom he hath redeemed
ifrom the hand of the enemy." Now
notice the gathering — "and gathered
them out of the land's, from the east
and from the west, from the north
land from the south. It seems to be
k gathering from the four points of
the compass, out of all lands. You
might inquire if the prophets have
said anything special in relation to
the country where theSe Saints, or
^ople of God are to be gathered.
Let us read the next verse. After
fathering them out of the different
countries and lands, from the east,
west, north and south, the Psalmist
^ys, " They wandered in a wilder-
ness, in a solitary way ; they found
ixo city to dwell in. Hungry and
thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
iThen they cried unto the Lord in
iheir trouble, and he delivered them
put of their disthisses. And he led
tbem forth by' the right way," etc.
Now this cannot refer to any former
^spensation of gathering. ' When
the children of Israel in ancient days
y^ere collected together as a body,
ihey were not taken from the east,
tP'est, north and south, but they were
taken from one little country — the
land of Goshen in Egypt. From there
this handful of people, about twen-
ty-five hundred thousand were taken,
imd in the course of time were per-
ibitted to inhabit the land of Canaan.
But this gathering that is here fipo-
ien of informs us that they are to
t)e gathered out of all lands. Who 1
The redeemed of the Lord, — people
Vhb have heard the message of re-
•demption, obeyed the ordinances of
l^demptiou, received the Gospel of
i^demption, and were the people of
^od, the people of Christ ; they
irere the ones that were to wander
m the wilderness, after they were
ihos gathered, and that wilderness
fTOuld be a solitary way. Now, in
j^thering from Egypt to the land of
Canaan, they wandered, it is true,
in a small wilderness, on the east
side of the Red Sea, but instead of
bringing them forth where there
was no city or habitation, he brought
them forth to large and populous
cities. The first city that they came
to, after crossing from the east side
of Jordan to the land on the west
side, was the great city of Jericho^
which the Lord delivered into their
hands ; and then there were numer-
ous other cities that are mentioned
in the Book of Joshua, which were
delivered into the hands of the peo-
ple. The children of Israel gathered
out of one land ; but this latter-day
gathering was to be a people called
" the redeemed of the Lord ;" they
were to go into a wilderness coun-
try. They were called, in many
parts of the Scripture writings, **the
people of Zion," and " the Zion of
the latter-(kys." The Lord calls
them by this special name in the
51st chapter of Isaiah, and these are
the words that are used : " For the
Lord shall comfort Zion ; he will
comfort all her waste places ; and he
will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden of the
Lord ; joy and gladness shall be
found therein, thanksgiving and the
voice of melody."
When I was a toy I was inclined
to attend very frequently the meet-
ings that were lield by the different
denominations in the State of New
York, my native State. I often
h6ard this prophecy of Isaiah sung,
by those Svho were singing anthems
of praise to the Lord, "The Lord
shall comfort Zion,** etc., but little
did I know, in my boyhood or youth,
what was meant by these predictions
of Isaiah. It seems that the people
of Zion are to be gathered out from
all lands, from evezy nation under
heaven, from the four points of the
compass, and are to be Drought into
THE OATHKRINO OT THB SAINTS, ETC.
275
H solitary place, a wOderness, and
^hea they arrive in' that solitary
place or wilderness, they will, at
first, be greatly afflicted, sorely dis-
tressed, 80 much so that they wil}
W under the necessity of crying
unto the Lord, and he will deliver
them from their distress. '* They
found no city to dwell in," says Da-
vid. Now, this was the case with
the Latter-day Saints, whom the
Lord commanded to sather together.
When we started forth over the
great desert plain, where there were
to settlements, no cities, no towns,
traveling hundreds of miles without
any track to gnide us, it was a
** solitary -way," and rendered more
terrible by the ^ild beasts that
roamed over the plains. We could
kaar the sound of the wolf in his'
kowlings ; we could hear the sounds
of the buffalos in their bellowings,
but the sound of the human voice,
{rom any village, or town, or settle-
ment was unknown for hundreds of
ijailes.
; We commenced this journey in
the year 1846, leaving the great
Mississippi river in the cold month
of February. After a portion of us
had crossed the river in boat&, the
river was frozen over, and the rest
tf the company crossed In wagons
«h the ice. We had no erass to sus-
tain our teams. Our teams depend-
^ upon the cottonwoods, and barks
of trees, and a little com that we
Oottld occasionally get by sending
down to the settl^nents, and pur^
<faasii)g it for that purpose. We
i^andered in the wilderness ^'in a
Solitary way," and when we had
teveled some fourteen hundred
nules, we found no city to dwell in,
jmi precisely as the Psalmist said
ivovOld be tbs case. We entered this
Ttelley in the month of Julj, 1847,
hflndng been deitained daring the
tinier, by sending ov«r 500 oi our
people — young and middle-aged men
— ^to help the United States in theiv
war against Mexico. That detained
us during the winter, so that w^
could not journey any further than
Council Bluffs, or the regions a littU
above Omaha, where we built up a
temporaiy residence. The next
spring we started off, traveling ovet
the plains " in a solitary way,** and
entered this valley just about where
Fort Douglass is now established oh
the bench ; we called it Emigration
Canon. We camodown here upon
this plot of ground'in the nionth of
Jnly, and commenced planting a few
potatoes. It was very late to put
in any cofn, but we wished to try
the soil to see whether there was
any virtue in it. We found it, how-
ever, like an ash heap. It seeMed
as tiiough there had been no rain
upon the land for years. We could
dig down a great depth in many
plaees, where this city now stands^
without finding scarcely any mokh
ture, but we succeeded by taking the
water from the creek — ^City Creek
we call it — ^in flooding a small por-
tion of ground, and put in our pota*
toes, and planted com, a few beans,
garden s^s, etc.. to see if there was
any virtue in the soil What were
tlie results of our first cropi W^
found that there was fruitfulness in
the soil ; but of course it was too
late for an3rthing to be matured^
The same fall, or autumn of 1847,
several thousand of the Latter-day
Saints followed up our track. They
came l^x>n the land in the fall of the
year, brmging with them a little
breadstuffs to sustain them during
the winter, and also our farm uten-
sils, and everything in the shape of
wearing apparel that could bd
brought We had not much to bring,
for we had already been driven four
or five times in the Uniibed States,
f rcmi our houses and from our lands ;
2U
JOURNAL 03f DIS00UB8X&
much of our bedding was burnt ; our
stores torn down, and the goods car-
tied into the streets and destroyed.
Hence, we had not mndi to bring
with us : but we came trusting in our
God, and we found that the Lord
really fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah,
and made the wilderness to blossom
as the rose, made the desert to bloom
like the Garden of Eden — ^literally
fulfilling that which our Gentile re-
ligious denominations had been sing-
ing in my ears, when I was a youth.
Very pleasant song to those who did
not understand it, but much moile
pleasant to those who do understand
and are fulfilling it We made great
calculations in laying off this city.
We did not lay it off merely one
square mile, as if we were doubtful
as to whether there would be any
inhabitants to occupy it, nor two
miles square, but we laid it off, cov-
ering an area of about five square
miles. We expected that there
would be a great emigration. Upon
1?hat did we found our expectation 1
Was it upon our own natural judg-
ment? No; we founded our expecta-
tion upon that which God had spo-
ken in the modem revelations which
he had given to us as a people. He
told us, by revelation, before our
prophet was martjrred, that we
would have to leave the United
States : go beyond the Itocky Moun-
tains, and seek our home in the wil-
derness, and that we would have a
great people gather with us. We
believed his words ; we laid out this
city accordingly ; and now all that
reipains for us or strangers to do, in
i^gard to the fulfillment of these
expectations, is to ride from one end
of this city to the other, and see if
there is much spare ground r see if
t}ie lots are not pretty generally oc-
cupied, and the city pretty well filled
with inhabitants. " And he will
ipake her wilderness like Eden, and
her desert like tiie garden of l^e
Lord ; joy and gladness shall be
found therein." At first, before the
joy and gladness came, this other
prophecy was fulfilled : " Hungry
and thirsty, their soul fainted in
them," then they cried unto the
Lord in their afflictions, and the
Lord heard them, and delivered
them out of their distress. It is
not necessary for me to enumerate
all our privations, such as the short^
ness of provisions, and how many
had to live on the roots that sprang
out of the ground ; how many had
to boil up the hides of their cattle
that had transporteil them across
the plains ; it is not necessary to
enter into all these particulars. I
do not know that it is necessary for
us even to speak of a great trial of
our faith, that we had after we had
been here many months. We plant-
ed our crops in the spring, and they
came up, and were looking nicely,
and we were cheered with the hopes
of having a very abundant harvest
But alas ! it very soon appeared as
if our crops were going to be swal-
lowed up by a vast horde oi crickets,
that came down from these moun-
tains — crickets very different to what
I used to be acquainted with in the
State of New York. They were
crickets nearly as large as a man's
thumb. They came in immense
droves, so that men and women with
brush could make no headway against
them ; but we cried unto the Lord
in our afflictions, and the Lord heard
us, and sent thousands and tens of
thousands of a small white bird. I
have not seen any of them lately.
Many called them galls, although
they were different from the sea-
gulls that live on the Atlantic coast.
And what did they do for us 1 They
went to work, and by thousands and
tens of thousands, began to devour
them up, and still we thought that*
THE GATHERING OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
277
even they could not prevail against
80 large and mighty an army. Bat
we noticed^ that wjben they had ag;^
parently filled themselves with these
cnekets, they would go and vomit
them up, and again go to work and
fill themselves, and so thej continued
to do, until the land was cleared of
crickets, and our crops were saved.
There are those who will say that
this was one of the natural courses
of events, that there was no miracle
in it. Let that be as it may, we
esteemed it as a blessing from the
hand of God; miracle or no miracle,
we believe that Qod had a hand in
it) and it does not matter particu-
larly whether strangers believe or
not
We found no city here to dwell in.
What did we do 1 Went to work
and began to build a great city. This
also was foretold in this same Psalm,
"He turneth rivers into a wilder-
ness, and the water springs into dry
ground. A fruitful land into barren-
ness for the wickedness of them that
dwell therein. He turneth the wil-
derness into a standing water, and
dry ground into water springs." We
&und that when we came and began
to irrigate the land, and the rains
b^an to descend from the heavens,-
the earth began to take on a fresh
appearance, and the dry ground' be-
came like water springs. '* And
there he maketh the hungry to
dweU, that they may prepare a city
for habitation." Now when the Is-
raeHtes went into Canaan, they
found cities already prepared, but we
had to prepare our own city, '* and
sow the fields, and plant vineyards,
which may peld fruits of increase.
He blesseth them also, so that they
are multiplied greatly; and suffereth
not their cattle to decrease." Now,
the Latter-day Saints who have been
here, since the arrival of the first
companies in the year 1847, can rea-
lize how much the Lord has multip
plied this people. We are as it were
overrun with children. If strangers
will take t&e opportunity of going to
some of our oldest towns, and throudi
our various settlements, they will
find vast numbers of children, per-
haps more children in our country
than in any other country in th«
United States of the same popular
tion. This is very clearly spoken of
here, "He blessed them also, so that
they are multiplied greatly ; and
suffereth not their cattle to decrease."
Again he says, in the 41st verse,
" Yet setteth he the poor on high
from affliction, and maketh him fam*
ilies like a £ock." Those that are
acquainted with some of our peov
men, and when they go and look at
one man's family ; for this is in thQ
singular number — " he maketh him
families like a flock " — when we see
one man's family like a flock, we
may know the Lord has fulfilled
this prophecy in regard to the
gathering of the Saints in the
latter-days. ^^The righteous shall
see it and rejoice ; and all iniquity
shall stop her mouth." The latter
part of the sentence is not yet fulr
filled, but the fore part is fulfilled ;
the righteous hath seen these **fami^
lies like a flock," and the people
greatly multiplied upon the face of
the land. ^* Whoso is wise and will
observe these things, even they shall
understand the loving kindness of
the Lord." That is, they are the
children of the light. They can see
that the Lord our God is fulfilling
that which he had purposed to fulfil,
when the day for the gathering (4
his Saints should commence. They
can see that that which has occurred
corresponds with that which was
predicted. Again, they can see how
the righteous prosper and flourish ;
how their cattle increase, and how
the Lord has made this wildernesn,
J78
JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES.
this desert, this waste country, like
ihe garden of Eden.
Paul, I have no doubt, saw his
di^nsation of the ''fullness of
tuaes," or he never woald have pre-
dicted the great gathering that
should then toke place, namely '' all
l^ngs in Christ" — notice that ex-
|M:ession : not those who are otU of
Christ, not those who have not been
taptused into Christ ; but '' all things
in Christ ; both which are in heaven
tad which are cm the earth ; even in
Idm."
, This forcibly puts me in mind of
the parable of our Savior concerning
this great latter-day gathering. In
the 24th chapter of Matthew he
speaks of his second coming '' in the
clouds of heaven, with ,power and
great glory," and how the Oospel
should be preached in all the world
lor a witness unto all nations, before
he should come in hisfglory. In the
next chapter, in order that his
disciples might fully understand his
sayings, he goes on to explain that
at that particular period tlie king-
dom of heaven should be likened
unto ten virgins ; not the foimer
kingdom that was to be built up,
when he came on the earth in the
flesh ; that was not likened unto ten
virgins ; but at the time he should
eommence the great work of gather-
ing, that wheresoever the main body
of the kingdom is gathered together,
from the four quarters of the earth,
preparatory to his second coming,
then, at that time, should the king-
dom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps and
weot forth — (signifying that they
^d not . remain iu their native lands)
Jto meet the Bridegroom. It was a
literal gathering out ; and after they
-bad gathered out, taking their lamps
;'vith them, they began to be sleepy,
and it is written, ''they all slumber-
,«1 and slept." It was a time to
sleep, a time of drowsiness ; it is
called midnight ; but when all was
silent, and when probably the worid
outside was not lookuig for anything
very great, was careless and indiffer^
ent, a voice was beard in the depth
of this silence, saying, " Behold, the
Bridegroom cometh ; go. ye out to
meet him." Th^i all Ukose virgins
awoke, both the wise and the foot
ish. The wise ones trimmed theii
lamps, and had some oil ldrt;biit
the lamps of the foolish had gone
out, because there was no oil in
them. It seems that they had been
so careless, that all the Spirit of
God — which may be compared ta
the oil that gives brightness to the
lamps — ^had gone out of them, and
their lamps would not bum. ' ' Well,"
said they, "what shall we doT
We have been expecting the Brides
groom as well as you that are wise ;
we believed the Gospel, but realiy
we have been too careless ; the spirit
has been withdrawn from us.; therii
is no oil in our lamps ; cannot you
give us some 1 won*t you sell us a
little 1" "Oh, no," say the wise
ones, " we almost fear we have not
got enough for ourselves ; if you
want any, you had better go and buy
of those who want to sell. ' Hence,
five that had gathered were foolish,
and five were wise. The wise enter*
ed in with the Bridegroom, and the
door was shut before the foolish ones
could get in. But they afterwards
arrived and begged to be admitted ;
and thj3 question was asked, " Who
are ye ]" " We have been here
among your people for a long time*
Have we not cast out devils at a
certain time 9 Have we nat been on
misi^ions ¥ Have we not healed the
sick and done many wondet f ul works
in your name)" What i» the reply I
"I know you not." Wliyl Be-
oause they have^ apostatized; they
have lost the oil out of their lamps;
THB GATHERING OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
27a
thej failed to be prepared for the
coming of the Savior. Therefore
they were bound, as it were, hand
and foot, and delivered over to the
wicked world, to suffer the same
punishment as those that would not
receive the truth, and perhaps even
greater.
There is another parable concern-
iDg this gathering dispensation. You
recollect the Savior, in speaking of
the end of the wicked world, in a
parable, calls it a time of harvest,
before the time of harvest, there
seemed to be a gathering together,
and by and by, after this gathering,
the tares were plucked out from
among the wheat, and cast out in
bundles, ready to be burned ; but
those that were not tares, those tliat
were really wheat, were the ones
that were prepared to enter in and
partake of the blessing of the Lord.
This was spoken, not concerning the
former dispensation, but that dis-
pensation immediately preceding jbhe
'end of the world.
In another very plain parable, con-
cerning the gathering in the last
days, the kingdom of heaven is com-
pared —that is the kingdom which
should exist in tlie last days — to a
net that should be cast into the sea,
and gather of all kinds, both good
and bad. They are brought up to
the shore, not left in their native
oceaji or native waters, but brought
up to the shore. The bad are cast
away, and the good were cast into
the vessels. Now, this had reference
also to the end of the world. This
had reference to the great and last
dispensation, when the servants of
God will go torth, being commission-
ed of the Lord of Hosts to gather
out his Saints, those that have made
a covenant with him by sacrifice,
and in the gathering out of these
Saints frpm all the lauds of the
earth, land from the four quarters
thereof, they will gather up a great
many that are not good, tliat will
not stand the test ; but the bad will
be cast out, those who have not oi^
the wedding garment tliey will bo
cast away, and bound hand and foot^
as it were, until the end shall come^
that is, the final judgment, which
will be more than a thousand yearij
after the time of the coming of the
Savior.
This same great gathering is char:
acterized also by Daniel, as a stone cut
out of the mountain without hands;
This stone is represented as a kingj
dom, and its location is represented
as a mountain, showing that there ii^
to be a kingdom of God set up in
the last days by the gathering toge>
ther of his people in an elevatod
region of country, called a mountain.
By and by that stone will roll forth,
until the kingdoms of this world are
broken in pieces, and as the Prophet
Daniel said, the kingdom shall no^
be left to other people, but shall
stand forever; all those other earthly
kingdoms, that Nebuchadnezzar saw
in his dream, will vanish awa}^, like
a night vision, or, in other words,
become "like the chaff of the sumr
mer threshing floors ; and the wind
carried them away, and no place was
found for them." There are many
politicians that are trying to foretell
the future. They speak of what this
government, and that government,
and the other government will be,
several hundred years hence, or per-
haps in ages hence, as though they
could see and understand, naturally,
the condition of the various govern-
ments and kingdoms of the earth,
for a long time to come; but Daniel,
who was filled with the Spirit of the
living God, saw that all these earth-
ly governments — with the setting
up of which God had nothing to do
particularly, that i^, their founders
were neither prophets nor revelators
280
JOUKNAL OV DISCOURSES.
80 as to found them upon the prin-
ciples of the everlasting Gospel —
were to vanish away, like the chaff
of the summer threshing floor. And
you know how that vanishes, espe-
cially when the wind blows strongly.
So shall it be with all the govern-
ments, kingdoms, powers, republics,
and empires upon the face of this
globe, except one government, name-
Ij, that government which the God
of heaven shall establish in the lat-
ter-days upon the mountains. This
is the work of God. It is God that
causes these kingdoms to vanish
away. It is our God that will
cleanse the earth from wickedness.
" A fire sliall devour before him, and
it shall be very tempestuous round
about him." He it is that will speak
and the wicked shall melt away.
He it is that will cause violent
whirlwinds to go forth and de-
stroy this, that, or the other
city, according to his own will. He
it ia that will send forth pestilence
and plague, and will perform all that
has been spoken by the mouth of his
prophets, concerning the destruction
that is to take place in the latter
days.
To prove still more clearly the na-
ture of this great latter-day work of
gathering, read the writings of John
the Kevelator. He saw the intro-
duction of the Gospel in the latter-
days. He saw " another angel "
should bring it. He saw that it
should be published to every nation,
kindred, tongue and people. He
saw that following that angel there
would come great and terrible judg-
ments. He saw that after that angel
should come with the Gospel, there
would come a voice from heaven,
saying, " Come out of her, my peo-
ple, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues. For her sins have reached
unto heaven, and God hath remem-
bered her iniquitiea" This voice
from heaven, this new revelation,
that was promised hy the mouth of
John the Kevelator, and the sound
to all is : " Come out from among
these nations. Come out from the
four quarters of the earth. Come
out from Great Babylon, * Mystery,
Babylon the Great,' that you may
escape the desolation and plagues
that will soon overtake her." Read
concerning the coming of that angel
with the Gospel. Read the declara-
tion that that should be the hour of
God's judgment. When the Gospel
is preached, it is the last message to
the human family, the last warning
voice that they will hear before the
coming of the Lord. If they receive
it, they will flee out from the nations;
if they receive it not, then know
assuredly that the hour of God's
judgment is come, and God himself
will judge the people, as written in
this 50 th Psalm.
But we will not detain you longer.*
May the Lord bless you. May he
pour out his Spirit upon all the faith-
ful of the Latter-day Saints, and if
there are any unfaithful ones, num-
bered with the people of God, may
the Spirit of the Lord strive with
you, until you shall repent of your
unfaithfulness, and become pure,
upright, virtuous, and holy before
the Lord, that you may be entitled
to his Holy Spirit. And if there he
any strangers present, this afternoon,
who desire to know the truth, we
would ask them to search the sacred
Scriptures, call upon the name of the
Most High God, and he will show
you whether these Scriptures are
true or not; he .will reveal to you
whether he has sent his angel from
heaven or not ; he will give you a
testimony that is greater than the
testimony of men, provided you >rill
go humbly before him, and call upon
him, with all your hearts. Amen.
RESPONSlBILmES OF THE PRISSTTHOOD, ETC.
381
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Deliveeed in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, at the Priesthood
Meeting, Sunday Evening, July 4th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine. J
responsibilities of the priesthood — exhortation to faith-
fulness, ETC.
As this is the priesthood meeting
of the elders of Israel and those bear-
ing tlie priesthood, I feel I would
like to say a few words in connection
with what Brother Taylor has said.
I look upon our condition or our
position, as a people, that we are
called to a certain work. When we
send men upon missions, or to per-
form any branch of business or labor,
of course we expect them to perform
it, and the Lord expects them to do
the same. Now I look upon the el-
ders of Israel here to-night, and in
this Church and kingdom, as upon a
mission. We have been ordained to
a mission, and we have our time set
to do it and to perform it. Not
that I know exactly how many days
or years we are going to spend in it.
Bat this mission is required at our
hands, not at the hands of Brother
Taylor, Brother Joseph, or Brother
Brigham alone, but it is required at
our hands by the God of heaven, and
We are performing a work and laying
a foundation which we have got to
meet on the other side of the vail.
It does not make any difference to
what position ^ we are called or or-
dained. If we are called to the office
of a bishop we should fulfill the du-
ties pertaining to that office. I know
it has been considered a very hard
office, and one to which a good deal
of time has to be devoted. Yet there
are a great many bishops who don't
spend much time in it, while others
are true to their calling. A bishop's
calling is an important one. He is
called to be a father to the people of
his ward. And when labor is laid
upon us to perform we should not
ignore that labor or lay it* aside.
There is an account kept, whether
we keep one or not. There are a
good many revelations which show
us that this is the case. Your his-
tory goes before you. All of you
will find it when you get the other
side of the vail. Every man's his-
tory — his acts — ^are written, whether
he has kept a record here or not.
This is plainly manifested in the re-
velation known as the "Olive Leaf."
As I view it, we are not placed
here as elders of Israel, apostles, or
bishops, merely to get rich in gold
and silver, and the things of this
world. We have a labor laid upon
282
JOURNAL OF DISGOUBSSS.
our shoulders. Joseph Smith had,
Brigham Young had, the Twelve
Apostles have, we all have, and we
will be condemned if we do not ful-
fill it. We shall find it out when we
get to the other side of the vail. It
is through this neglect of duty that
so many have left this Church and
kingdom of God. There is hardly a
tithe of the people who have been
baptized in water for the remission
of sins that have died in the faith.
In the United States there are tens
of thousands of apostate Mormons.
Many a time in my reflections I have
wished I could fully comprehend the
responsibility I am. under to God,
and the responsibility every man is
under who bears the priesthood in
this generation. But 1 tell you,
brethren, I think our hearts are set
i^o much upon the things of this
world. We do not appreciate, as
•men bearing the holy priesthood in
this generation should, the mighty
responsibility we are under to God
and high heaven, as well as to the
earth. I think we are too far from
the Lord. I do not think we live
,our religion as we ought to. I do
not think our hearts are set upon
building up this kingdom as they
should be as Latter-day Saints.
Now, do not think I am your enemy
because I tell you these things. I
feel we have an important work to
perform, and others will continue
the work when we have passed away.
I look around and view the work of
jbime. I look around and find that
eight of the Twelve Apostles have
passed into the world of spirits since
we came into this valley ; I expect
to go there myself, I expect my bre-
thren will ; we shall all go there be^-
fore many years are over. J do not
look for anything else ; and I will
Bay that for the last year or two in
my reflections I have felt that I have
no other business on this earth but
to try to build up this kingdom. I
do not feel that I am justified in set-
ting my heart upon the things of
this world to the neglect of any duty
that God requires at my hands. And
another thing, when I look at this
generation, when I think of over
twelve hundred millions of people
who dwell in the flesh, many of them
ripening for the judgments of God,
^ generation that is ready to receive
the wrath of God upon their heads
— ^when I consider these things, I
know that if I neglect to bear my
testimony before them, if I neglect
to bear my testimony to this genera-
tion when I have an opportunity, I
shall feel sorry for it when I go into
the spirit world.
That is the way I feel with regard
to this work. God requires that we
bear record of it to this generation ;
and when I think of the extent of
this generation, the greatness of it,
when I consider that this is a gene-
ration and dispensation when God
has set his hand to establish a king-
dom, the great and last kingdom,
and the only kingdom that the Lord
ever did establish in any age of the
world, to remain on the earth th rough
the millenium, when I think of these
things I can realize the greatness of
this work. The Lord never had
prophets in any age of the world
who could stand in the flesh and
live, and build up the kingdom of
God. , The world has always made
war upon them and destroyed them,
with the exception of Enoch who
was taken up to heaven with his
city. Now, if we could realize that
we have the kingdom of God upon
the earth to-day, witli the promise
of God our Father, that it will stay
upon the earth until the coming of
the Son of Man — if we could realize
this and realize our responsibility, \i
seems to me that we would all have
I a desire to magnify our calling.
RESPONSIBILZTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
2S3
As I WAB going to say, witJi agen-
eration like this, with the nations of
the earth as they are to-day, having
the power to build up the kingdom
of God to stay here, having the
e»wer to rear temples to the Most
igh Ood, against the wrath and
indignation of a thousand million
people — I say, having this power,
atid being sustained by the Lord, we
certainly ought to be willing to do
Qur part of the work. We have
"boTfie testimony— 'I have, my bre-
thren have, the elders of Ibrael have
—to this generation for many years.
We have borne testimony of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the Book
of Mormon and of the prophets of
God who has been raised in this our
own time, and those testimonies will
rise up in jud^ent against this gen-
eration and will condemn those who
t^'ect them.
. This kingdom is in our hands to
bear it off. The Grod of heaven is
with us. He has sustained us. He
turns away the wrath of man. He
binds the hands of our enemies and
breaks every weapon that is formed
s^nst Zion. He has established
his people in these valleys of the
mountains.
I would say to bishops, and to all
xnen in authority, we should have
an interest in carrying on thia work.
We should, labor to get the Spirit of
God. It is our right, our privilege,
*nd our duty to call upon the Lord,
that the vision of our mind may be
Ppeaed, so that we may see and un-
werstand the day and age in which
n^e.aye living. It is your privilege,
Aud mine too, to know the mind find
Will of the Lord concerning pur du-
ties, and if we fail to seek after this,
•ire li^eglect to mag^iify out calling.
As Brother Taylor has §aid, here
^e are at headquarters. We are an
^ii9ainpljey for all the other Stakes to
Ipok atj. We should not consider *
anything we are called to perform ^
labor. Anything we are called upon
to do we should' do with a will I
look back to the days of our early
missions. Brother Taylor, Brother
Brigham, myself and others, had to
go our ways sick with fever, aaue^
and the power of death surroundulg
us ; had to leave out wives and chij^
dren without food, without raime&ts
and go without purse and sciip to
preach the Gospel. We were comr
manded of Gqd to do it, and if we
had not done it we should not have
been here to>day. But having done
these things, God has blessed us.
He has sustained the faithful elders
of this Church and kingdom, and h^
will continue to do so until we get
through,
I wanted to express my feelings
in relation to these matters. I re«-
flect upon our position. I realize
that we have a testimony to beax^
and that we shall be held responsi*-
hie for the manner in which we per-
form our duties. As apostles, seveur
ties, elders, priests, etc., we are ao^
countable to the Most High God, If
we do our du^y, then our skirts will
be clean. We are watchmen upon
the walls of Zion. It is our duty to
warn the inhabitants of the earth of
the things that are to come, and if
they reject our testimony, then their
blood will be upon their own heads.
When the judgments of God overr
take the wicked they cannot say
they have not been warned. My
garments, and the garments of thou*
sands of others, are dean of the peor
pie of this generation, as also the
garments of Joseph Smith, Brigham
Young, and those of the elders of •
Israel who have died in the £Edtb«
We have borne our testimony, and
when the judgments of Grod comje^
men cannot say they have not been
warned. I consider our position be^
fbre this generation is of vastjin))-
284
JOURNAL OK niSCOURSES.
portaiice to us and them. I do not
want, when I go into the spirit world,
to have this generation rise np and
condemn me, and say I have not
done my duty.
There never was a generation like
this. There has never been a people
like this. There has never been a
work like this since God made the
world. True, there have been men
who have preached the Grospel ; but
in the fulness of times the Lord has
set his hand to establish his king-
dom. This is the last dispensation.
He has raised up men and women
to carry on his work, and as I have
often said, many of us have been
held in the spirit world from the
organization of this world, until the
generation in which we live. Our
lives have been hid with Christ in
€fed, and the devil has sought to kill
us from the day we were born until
the present hour. But the Lord has
preserved us. He has given us the
priesthood, he has given us the
kingdom and the keys thereof. Shall
we disappoint our heavenly Father ?
Shall we disappoint the ancient pro-
phets and apostles who looked for-
ward to this da^ 1 Shall we disap-
point Joseph Smith, and those bre-
thren who have gone before, who
laid the foundatian ot this work and
left us to labor after them? Bre-
thren, for God's sake do not let us
set our hearts on the things of this
world to the neglect of the things of
eternal life. Do not let the bishops
feel it is a hard matter to carry out
any of the counsels given by those
who are called to direct all these
things. Bless your souls, if you lived
here in the flesh a thousand years,
as long as Father Adam, and lived
and labored all your life in poverty,
and when you got through, if, by
your acts, you could secure your
wives and children in the morning
of the first resurrection, to dwefi
with you in the presence of God,
that one thing would amply pay you
for the labors of a thousand years.
What is anything we can do or suf-
fer, to be compared with the multi-
plicity of kingdoms, thrones and
principalities that Qod has revealed
to usi
Well, we have got the kingdom,
and we must bear it off. It won't
pay you nor me to apostatize. But
then there is this danger, you know.
Brother Joseph used to counsel us
in this wise : " The moment you
permit yourselves to lay aside any
duty that Grod calls you to perform,
to gratify your own desires ; the
moment you permit yourselves to
become careless, you lay a foundation
for apostasy. Be careful ; understand
you are called to a work, and when
God requires you to do that work do
it." Another thing he said: "In all
your trials, tribulations and sickness,
in all your sufferings, even unto
death, be careful you don't betray
God, be careful you don't betray the
priesthood, be careful you don't apos-
tatize ; because if you do, you will be
sorry for it." We received a great
deal of that kind of counsel, and I
have remembered it from that day
until the present.
But I do not wish to detain you.
I felt to back up the testimony Bro-
ther Taylor has given. I take it to
myself. I can make nothing by ne-
glecting any dutv. I have never
committed a sin m this Church and
kingdom, but what it has cost me a
thousand times more than it was
worth. We cannot sin with impuni-
ty; we cannot neglect any counsel
with impunity, but what it will
bring sorrow; and the only safe way
is to round up our shoulders and do
our duty, and thus bear off the king-
dom. None of us have a long timd
to stay here. When I look around
and reflect upon my brethren that
BESPONSIBILITISS OF THE FRISSTHOOD, ETC.
28«
are gone, I ask, Where are they)
Where are they gone 1 Here is
Brother Taylor, myself and others,
who form part of the early organiza-
tion of this quorum, who have tra-
veled with the Church for a great
many years ; but Brother Joseph
Smith and others have been gone
for a long time — gone into the spirit
world. While I reflect upon these
things I often ask. What are their
views toward usi How does the
Lord look upon us as a people ) I
consider the Lord and the heavenly
hosts are watching us. I know they
manifest great interest in our wel-
fare and in the course we pursue. I
do not want to miss salvation. I
want to go where Brother Joseph is.
I want to go to my heavenly Father,
and to his Son Jesus Christ, and to
the old prophets who lived in their
generations.
Let us try to live our religion. Let
us seek for the Holy Spirit, that it
may dwell in our bosoms day by day.
Bless your souls, we have all we want
of this world's goods. Who ever
saw a people so well off as the peo-
ple of Utah in these valleys of the
mountains 1 Who has given us these
things] Our heavenly Father. He
has blessed the land for our use.
This donation that has been made,
some may call it a sacrifice ; but
Brother Taylor had a desire to
stretch :out the hand of kindness to
the oppressed of the Lattter-day
Saints. We want them to have the
benefit of this. We should therefore
labor with a will. No matter how
long you are a bishop, your work
will be closed iti the flesh by and by.
Where are many of the bishops of
this Church and kingdom who held
office thiity years ago I Gone; and
the bishops who are here tonight,
others wUl supply their places by
and by J We will all pass awaiy in
our turn, and the feitbial willeotne.
forth at the coming of the Son bf.
Man, which is but a little while.
I feel anxious that we may not
forget God ; I feel anxious that we
may not forget the position we occu-
py before him ; for I will say this
concerning myself: if ever I had
any satisfaction or happiness, I have
had it in ^' Mormonism." If there
is anything to me or about me, it
has been given to me in " Mormon-
ism." If I have ever received any
blessings ; if I have ever had power
to testify of the things of God, and
been the means of bringing any into
the Church and kingdom of God, it
has been by the power of God, or
by that which is termed " Mormon-
ism," the Gospel of Christ. I know
it is the power of God that has ac-
complished these things. It has
been by the power of God that we
have received all we are in possession
of — our riches, our gifts, our wives
and our children. How many of
you have had sealed upon your heads
kingdoms, powers and principalities
in the world to cornel Who canr
compare these blessings with gold
and silver and the things of this
world ? Or what is to be compared
with the gift of eternal life 1
I pray God, our heavenly Father,
to bless you, to bless all those who
bear the holy priesthood ; that the
blessings of God may be over you.
I feel that we as a people have got
to rise up and clothe ourselves with
the power of God. There must be
a reformation, or a change, in our
midst. There is too much evil
among us. The devil has got tooi
much power over us. A good many
that bear the name of Christ and'
th^holy priesthood, are getting colA
in the things of God. We must
wake up ; We must trim our lamps,
and be prepared for the coming of
the Son of Man. May God bless
you. May he guide and direct usi
U6
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSED.
all. May he keep us in the 1k)11ow
of his hand. May he sanctify us
and prepare us to inherit eternal
life, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Dblivsbed in The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Aftbrnook,
July 18th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine,)
yiSIONS of MOSES — RBBELLION in heaven — SATAN CAST DOWN — OUR
' FIRST PARENTS FELL — BEFORE THE FALL THEY WERE DOTORTAL —
; AFTER THE FALL, MORTAL — ^THE COMMAND TO MULTIPLY WAS GIVSN
- TO TWO IBCMORTAL BEINGS —THIS COMMAND MORE FULLY TO W
CARRIED INTO EFFECT, AFTER THE RESURRECTION, ETC.
* I ^vill call the attention of the con>
gregation to a portion of the word
of God, that was given unto Moses
before he delivered the children of
laorael out of the land of Egypt. It
may be well for me to mention, he-
fore reading, that Moses received
inany communications, by visions
snd by revelation, before he was sent
£rom the land of Midian to visit his
brethren who were. in bondage in
Egypt. He beheld, in these visions,
many great and inportant events,
some of which took place in the
eqpirit world. Amoijg other things
which he saw was thia pre-existenee
of the children of mon^ and also the
rebellion tihat took place among the
great family of spirits before the
world was made ; and in this vision
the Lord thus speaks to him :
"And I, the Lord Ood, spake unto
Moses, saying, that Satan whom
thou hast commanded in the name
of mine Only Begotten, is the same
which was from the be^ning, and
he came before me saying : Behold
I, send me, I will be thy son, and I
will redeem all mankind, t^at one
soul shall not be lost : and surely I
will do it. Whererore, giv* me
thine honor. But/ behold, my be-
lored Son, which was my bdo^ed
and <shosen from ^e begimiing, said
•visroNf*
05?
jfiTC.
287
unto me, Father, thyt^ill ho doY.s'.-,
and the glory be tlune forever.
Wherefore, because that Satan re-
belled against me, and «ought to de-
stroy the agency of man, which I,
the I.v>rd God, had giren him, and
dso that I should give unto him
Vii?ijH> own power, by the power of
EVx!i?3 Only Begotten, I caused that
Jie should be cast down, and he be-
came Satan, yea, even the devil, the
father of all lies, to deceive, and to
blind men, and to lead them captive
at his will, even as many as would
not liearken unto my voice. And
now, the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field which I,
the Lord God, had made. And
Satan put it into the heart of the
serpent (for he had drawn away
many after him), and be sought
also to beguile Eve, for he knew not
the mind of God, wherefore he
sought the destroy the world, and
he said unto the womau. Yea, hath
God said, ye shall not eat of every
tree in the garden! (And he spake
by the mouth of the serpent.) And
the woman said unto the serpent. We
may eat of the fruit of the trees of
tile garden ; but of the fruit of the
tree \vhich thou beholdest in the
midst of the garden, God hath said.
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall
ye touch it, lest ye die. And the
serpent said unto the woman, Ye
shall not surely die ; fbr God doth
know that in the day ye eat thereof
then your eyes shall be opened, and
ye shall be as Gods, knowing good
and evil."
These few words which I have
rtead from the "Pearl of Great Price,"
were suggested to my mind immedi-
ately before rifting to my feet. The
short history that is here given, by
new revelation to Joseph the Proph-
et, contains a vast amount of infor-
mation for so feW wprdi?. It shows
the origin pf eVil, I)^rtaining to the
inhabitants of this creation. I do
not suppose that this was the first
origin of evil. We do not consider
that this creation on which we dwell
was the first one that v^tts made.
We do not consider that the rebel*
lion which took place in heaven prior
to this creation was the first rebel-
lion that had ever existed. We do
not consider that those beings who
rebelled was the first ones that ever
had their agency ; but we believe
that God has always been at work,
from all eternity ; and that the cre-
ations which he has made are innu-
merahle unto men. No man is ca-
pable of conceiving of the number.
And those creations were made to
be inhabited by rational, intelligent
beings, having their agency, ^ut
this seems to be the origin of evil so>
far as the inhabitants intended for
this earth, and who were then living
in heaven, were concerned. They
had their agency ; and when I speak
of the inhabitants that dwell in hea^
ven, pertaining to this creation, I
mean the spirits of men and women.-
I have no reference to the mortal
tabernacles which we have received
here, but I have reference to those
beings who dwell within these taber-
nacles, who are intelligent, who have'
their agency, who had a pre-exist-
ence, who lived before the world was
made. The inhabitants of heaven^
who were selected to come on thi*
creation, were agents, just as mu^h-
as we are. They had a law given to
them, just as much as we have. They
had penalties aflSixed to that ^'^j
just the same as we have. They
could keep that law given to them
in heaven, just as well as we could
keep a law given to us. They could
rebel against that law, because of
their agency, the same as we rebel
against the laws of heaven.
We have an account given here of
a personage called Satan, 'who stood'
^88
JOURNAL OF DISQ0UB3ES.
Up in heaven, being an angel of
light, an holy angel, prior to that
time — who stood up before the Fa-
ther andthe Son, and made a proposi-
tion concerning the new creation
that was to be made. *' Behold,"
said he to the Father, " send me, I
will be thy son, and I will redeem
all mankind, that one soul shall not
be lost, and surely I will do it ;
wherefore give me thine honor."
This was the language, according to
this revelation which I have just
read, made use of by this angel who
stood in the presence of God. But
the Only Begotten of the Father,
the First-born of this great and
numerous family in heaven, said
unto his Father : ** Father, thy will
be done, and the glory be thine for-
ever." Then we have an account
that the Lord, because Satan thus
transgressed, and because he sought
to destroy the agency of man, and
to redeem all mankind, that not a
soul should be lost, was displeased
with the proposition. And why
should he not be ? An agency was
given to all inteUigent beings ; and
without a proper agency, intelligent
beings could not receive glory and
honor, and a reward and a fullness
of happiness in the celestial king-
dom. There must be an agency
wherever intelligence exists, and
without agency no intelligent beings
could exist; and because Satan
sought to destroy this, and to frus-
trate the great and eternal plan of
Jehovah, the Lord was displeased
with him. He did not repent of
his rebellion, nor of the wicked pro-
position; but he sought to turn
away the family of heaven — the
family of spirits that were in the
presence of God — he sought to turn
them away and convert them to his
plan. But he did not succeed. He
did succeed in leading away about
One- third .part of that great family
I of spirits, because of their agency.
They hearkened to his proposition ;
they thought it would be a very
great and important thing to des-
troy the agency of man in the future
creation that was about to be made,
and to redeem them all in their
sins, and consequently they joined
with this rebellious character ; hence
came the .fallen angels. What be-
came of them ? They were thrust
down from the presence of God and
the Lamb after this creation was
ma le, and they were permitted to
dwell in this creation. Finally, one
of those spirits who kept their first
estate was placed in a body upon
this creation, and likewise a woman;
and Satan came before the woman
in the Garden of Eden, and tempted
her. What was his object in tempt-
ing this woman 1 He did not suc-
ceed in overcoming her in the first
estate — I mean he did not succeed
in turning her away from God's
commands; but inasmuch as they
were now placed under different
circumstances — ^placed in bodies of
flesh and bones — placed in the Gar-
den of Eden, he thought that he
would assault them with a new
temptation, to see if he could possi-
bly overcome them. He succeeded
in overcoming Eve, the woman that
was given to this first man, and pre-
vailed upon her to trangress the'
law of heaven, to partake of the for-
bidden fruit, and she succeeded in
leading her husband to transgress
the same law. Now, here arises a
question. Did Adam partake of this
forbidden fruit, being deceived as
Eve was deceived ? or did he partake
of it knowingly and understand-
inglyl I will give you my views
upon this subject. Adam very well
knew that his wife Eve, atter she
had partaken of the forbidden fruit^|
having tran^ressed the law of Grod^
must die. . He knew this j he knew
VISIONS OF HOSES, SIC.
as9
that she would have to be cast out
of ths garden of £den, from the
presence of her husband ; she could
DO longer be permitted to dwell with
him. Hence, inasmuch as there
was a great separation threatened
between husband and wife— the
wife having transgressed — ^he con-
cluded that he would not be sepa-
rated from the woman, and hence
he was not deceived, but the woman
was deceived; he partook of the for-
bidden fruit to prevent a separation
between the two, and fell, even as
the woman fell, and both were cast
out together. If one only had trans-
gressed and been cast out, the great
command that had been given prior
to that time — to multimy and re-
plenish the earth — could not have
been fulfilled, because of the sepa-
ration. In order, therefore, that the
command first given might be ful-
filled, Adam, though not deceived,
partook ef the forbidden fruit, was
cast out with Eve, and hence began,
as far as possible, to fulfil the com-
mand, and to multiply his species
upon this earth. There is one very
important item, right here, to be
understood, and should be thor-
oughly understood by every person
desirous of knowing the trutib, and
that is, that when Adam and Eve
were in the garden of Eden, before
this transgression took place, they
were not subject to death; they were
not subject to any kind of pain, or
disease, or sickness, or any of the
afflictions of mortality. Now, per-
haps those who are not in the habit
of reflecting upon this matter, may
suppose that when Adam was placed
on the earth, and Eve, his wife, they
were mortal, like unto us; but that
was not so. €k>d did not make a
mortal beitig. ' It would be contrary
to this great goodness to make a man
mortal, subject to pain, subject to
sdckness, subject to death. When
No. 19.
he made this creation, and when ho.,
made these two intelligent beings
and placed them upon this creation^
he made them after his own like-
ness and his own image. He did [•
not make them mortal, but he made
them immortal, like unto himself.
If he had made them mortal, and
subject to pain, there would have
been some cause, among intelligent
beings, to say that the Lord sub-
jected man, without a cause, to af-
flictions, sorrows, death and mor-
tality. But he could not do this; it
was contrary to the nature of his
attributes, contrary to the nature of
that infinite goodness which dwells
in the bosom of the Father and the
Son, to make a bein^ subject to any
kind of pain. At the time of the
creation, all things that proceeded
forth from his hands were considered '
very good. How came, then, Adam
to be mortal) How came Adam to
be filled with pain and afi&iction and
with great sorrow? It was in conse- ^
quence of transgression. Hence^^
the Apostle Paul, in speaking upon '^
this subject, said, that by trausgres- [
sion sin entered into the world, md '
death by sin. Death, then, instead '
of being something that the Lord
created, instead of being scfmething
that he sent into the worlds and
by sin; the Lord siuffered it to come *
upon Adam in consequence of trans-
gression. Two immortal beings,
then, were placed in the garden of
Eden, male and female. Was there
any commandment given to those
two immortal beings before the fall!
There was one commandment^;
namely : ^* Be fruitful and multiply^
and replenish the earth." W^t 1
Did the Lord command two immor-
tal beings to multiply their spedesi .
Hq did. In meditating upon this ^
great command given- to these, two
immortal beings, it opens to us a-
field ot reflection* of. knowledge.'
Vol xxir^
iW
JOUflNAL OK fclStHDimSEB.
concermng the great designs of the
Alniighty. It imparts fro us a know-
ledge that the Lord our God in-
teaded that immortal beings should
]iiQltipl]r their species. Can you [
fiiid any place in the book of Gene-
sis where our first parents were •
cctmmanded to multiply after the
fall ? I do not remember any such
scripture. I have read the scriptures
vei^ diligently ; I do not remember
any such command. Yet they did
so^ aiid the consequences were that
children of mortality were boru —
iife)rtal beinf^ came upon the earth.
Why ] Because alter the fall, Adam
a6d Eve became mortal, and their
species, of course, were after the
oi^er of the world, mortal in their
n$;ture. As the parents were sub-
ject to death, subject to pain, and
sorrow, and distress, and all kinds of
evil, so wete all their posterity. It
wks contrary to the law of God fbr
nfortal beings to bring forth child-
ren of immortality ; it ■v^^as contrary
to the order of htaveri for mortal"
beings to multiply their species in
the rorm of immortal beingfe. But
mpy we not suppose that it was
r^ly necessary, , notwithstanding
there was no command givwi, that
tke children of mortality shotdd
nraltiply their species? Notwith-
s^dmg liie Lord said tiothing, to
Adam ahd Eve upoti this subject
alter the 'fait, so far as it written,
yifet we may sappo^e it.tras accord-
iAg to Ms purpose and! desi^ \ihMr
they should multiply chili&feh of
mortality, even though M ^ve^
thW no coimnahd aft^r &eii: fS^to
tto^ eflfect. ' lli'ey have bOintijiii^d to
OD so, and their (Aiildren after them,
ifp all of their generations, until the
present time, and .will continue to
dS> do in future' generations, until
tfie earth has filled themeasUr^ of
i& ^e^tion/ according to ti^ennm-
l)^of.sotil$tiiat «ad8ti&d bef6re the
world was organized,, in the (amilj
of the two-thirds who kept their
first estate.
But will the time come in the
endless duration of the future,
when our first parents will fulfill
that command which was given to.
them while they were yet children
of immortality 1 In other words
will the time ever come when Adam
and Eve will become iinmortal and
carry out the command that was
given to them in the days of their
first immortality? I answer, yes;
without this, the command of God
never could be, in all respects, ful-
filled. Thoagh there should be
hundreds of thousands of milUon&,
or more, of the descendants of those
mortal beings come here upon the
earth, the command is not fajlj
complied with ; though he mtay h«^ve
begotten sons and daughteits, Cain,
Abel, Seth and many others for
some nine hundred years and up-
wards, yet all the sons and daughters
he begat while he was mortal here
upo;i the 'Carth did not, in all re-
spects, fulfill the command given to
him while an immortal, beings That
has to be fulfilled after Adam, and
Eve are resurrected from tb^ grave.
Have they yet been resurrected 1 I
think so. There were a great many
that were resurrected at* the time of
the resurret^<>n of Chi^ist. ^Christ
was tH6 fitsfr %iit8 of the r^rrec-
tion, and th^ti ,^'(ip& w^^ a great
(many SaiMs Who ^«M^ forth out of
th^if graves aud W<^ msurreeted,
and pemiitlliBd t^ Renter into the
celei^tial gtotf aiid(^well at his right
hand. Ainong ifke nuihber, I have
no doubt but iviiat onr first parents
Ad£lm and Evj^. were permitted to
ceme forth anil entier into celestial
glory; and I ba(ve no doubt but
what they have been fidfiUing the
commandment given to them &fqro
they fell Nearly two thousand
wwase ,WP MOBH^, «ra
a^
jem hftVQ pftsied -siiice the fint
FesurreotioQ of tb^ Saints.. I can^
not believe that Adam and Eve,
daring these nineteen centuries; have
been in idlenetn^ I oannot believe
that they alone constitute, tb/eir
whole family; but I beUiftye that
dviripg this time they have been fnl-
fllling literally the comibandmQiit
that was given to them in th6 morn
•of creatidn. and as imm.ortal beings
have brought forth immortal sons
and daughters since their resurrec-
tion. Thus the commandment of
the Most High was nbt made void,
but is in process of fuMUment.
But let us enquire still further
concerning this matter; for this
seems to open up amoth^^r field be-
fore our minds. ' The childteu of.
immortality are obligeiqt. to. n^^^iltiply^
in order • to fulfill this oon(xnujitKlinent.
Hence, thi&re is more contained in
the Gospel in all its folne^s and gloay
Idian what this woiid ever dreamt
of. The Christian world, ^o called,
have not looked forth unto th^' great
Aiture ; they hove not.r^cognijBedthe-
great law which' G>pd 0r4ailied for
ilnmortal beings to bring f^rth their
8f)eciefs ; for if our first paxenis miist
do this, in order to obey the cotij-
Biandment that was given before the=
ftU, 8 J must their children^ or eke
et^r be transgressord, • one <^r the
other. Their childi^n, I ^y, never
oan fu)gll the object of. the*, com-
mandment, that was given to im-
nM>nal bedngs, 'unlesd th^ey* as im-
ibortal b^ingi, so multiply their
^les; atid fot* this i:eas<^ we find
ihcorporated in the Gospel that P^tul
Ffeached this great saying^f/VNeiv^r-
thetesB, nisither is the man .without
the vronmif neither > the woman
^hout IftLef man, in tfle^ 1^x4^'!
What ! Qto^ I, ean you, /^ tb^ iiln
habitants of the earth really n^ be.
ii^ the Lord, i^ yet not be uniied
together* in tfie noty covenant > of
marriage the male with the fonale f
so Paul eays. It is a veiy curioutf
kind of saying, however, in the case
of this veneration, who haive lost thef
knowledge of God throogh the apofri
tasy of their fathers. They have eSi
the: time suppbeed thkt they toxAA
enter into a fulness of th^gloi^of
the celestial world without being
united' in the bonds of eternal union.
But it is not so; it was not so in thd
beginning. The veky fi^sfc marriage
that was ever, kbo^t'ni'.in. this crea-;
tion, was not a n^arridge . betweent
the children of mortality^ &ut waer
a matriage coi>SUQiniated by diyiho'
authority, by divine poWerl It was
a marriage, between two immortet
beings. No other marriage could be
so important; so essentially neces-
sary, to the inhabitants of this etea^
tion, a3 the first one celebrated in*
the beginning. Whalt 'do you think,'
Christians of the ninetiftenth century/
who belong to the various denomoP
nations? — what are your views iti'
regard. to marriage? Your look^=
inform us. Your articles of. fait(&-
inform u% Th^ disciplineis that yott^
hav<e, for the government of fovct'
churches, inform us that when mar=-
riage itf performed among ybU,* it ifl^-
between two mortal beings, and they'
are only married till death stiaUl
separat-e and part them. Ob! ho^
diSerent iifcfm the first majrriii(g6 on-
record between- two imtnortal per-
sonages,' whose d^ys, inasthu^h as'
they keep the comntandtnetibs' <it
God, were never to end, but their
Htssw^^ to bei endle&d W etet^hkL-
Tbe Iiatter-day Saints halve a diffeiV
ent form of .marriage fit)m th^se ^c^>
tarians. We have a iiia¥riage * h. out'
ohui^h'; between the made einfd ^malte/-
which reaches fbrwaifd- to the eWd-"
lesa ages of eternity,' we do riot dony
si^er a- marriage of vei^y- g^eai itii^
poTtance, unless is takds hold d^
eternity. We do not' beiieve itf-
^»
JOURNAL OJ^ DI3OO0BSX3.
these marriages which are to remain
in force btoely while . this mortal
thread of existence^ contilities; we do
not believe in a marriage that must
be broken up, dissolved and divorced
by that tyrant called death. Death
has nothing to do with dissolving
marriages — I mean those marriages
that are performed acccurding to the
mind and will of God. Death may
^me in and separate the two for a
short season, but it does not dissolve
the marrige ties. If £ve dies before
];ier husband, Adam, she is not
divorced from him, neither is he
divorced from her, but she considers,
while dwelling in a celestial para-
dise, that she has legally and law-
fully a husbaiKd In the flesh on the
earth. Ad4m, if he still continues
to live on the earth, while Eve has
taken her flight to the eternal world,
considers that he has a wife in hea-
ven, though separated for a short
time from her. She still is his wife,
and will be his, until he himself
^11 fall into the grave, and even
that does not dissolve the . marriage
t^e. The great redemption wrought
out through the only begotten Son
-r— the great redemption that reclaims
J^dam and Eve from their graves,
restores them also from this short
period of separation that has taken
place by reason of death; it restores
them |again to each other's society,
as husband and wife ; and they will
remain in that relationship while
eternity shall endure.
But here arisen^ another question,
-7-oneof thegreate^timportance to the
diildren of men of all generations,
and that i% are there any marriages
that God will repotgnij^e which he is
not the a\itbor of ^ In other >v(Nrds,
supposing that t^wo persons in the
BomaaCathoUc church, in the Greek
churt^i in any Protestant church) or
two persons that do not, belong to
any religious desnomination, are
married by a miiiister, by a justice
of the peace, by any person profess-
ing to have authority among men,
to celebrate the nuurige ceremony
—'have they any claim upon each
other when death separates them 1
According to their own covenants
they do not The minister only
married them till death should
them part. When death come&
along and separates these two per-
sons their marriage covenant has ex-
piretl; it has run out, it is at an end,
But inquires one, will not tlie Lord
permit them to live together as hus-
band and wtfe, after the resurrec-
tion ? Why should he 1 If he had
joined them together, according to
the marriage ceremony that was
administered to the first pair of
immortality, then they could claini
each other, after the resurrection;,
but inasmuch as the cereniony was
performed by an uninspired man,
not sent of God, and having no
power to seal on earth that it should,
be sealed in heaven, of course their
marriage covenant expires, that is
the eternal end of their association.
Now, the Latter-day Saints are not
willing to go according to the tradi*
tion of the sectarian denominations'
of the earth ; but wo desire this
great, this important ceremony to be
performed so that it m^y be endu-
ring, so that it never shall have an
end, but last while eternal ages shall
last.
How came we to obtain. any know-
ledge upon this .aul^t? Not of
otor: own wisdom, not "by searching
the scriptures of truthv :If God had
not revealed himself, had not given;
instructions upon thi? important
pointy we should be in ignorance, the
same a& aU the ^est of the liForld ; and
our marriages, like them, would only
be for time.
' Another impoitaittqu^tion arises-
right here, in relation tp tJ^ose mar-;
nSlONS 09 MOSfiS, XTO.
29S
riages administered without autho-
rity ; it is this; Many, of you Latter-
day Saints when 'jQu embraced this
Gospel in Orettt Britain, in Scandi-
navia, in various parts of the United
States, and among the Various
nations — were men having families,
wives and children ; jou -were mar-
ried by the laws of the respective
nations among whom you dwelt;
you were. married till death should
separate you ; you were not married
for eternity. When you came up
here to this laud ypu began to
inquire more fully into the nature of
the marriage covenant You found
that there should be an eternal cove-
nant, an eternal union. The ques-
tion then arises, will your former
marriage be sufficient 1 Not at all.
You would have no wife in the
morning of the resurrection, no chil-
dren that v^uld be yours legally and
lawfully. Why? Because your
marriage was not l^al, only legal so
&r as the laws of the land were con-
cerned, only U^\ according to the
traditions of men. What should
you do, theii, in order that you may
be legally married, in order that
your marriage inay stand the test in
the judgment day^ in order iliat you
may have claim upon your families
after the resurrection 1 You should
have the ceremony perforjoaed again.
Every couple that was married
abroad, among tlieniations, must be
rfr-married, liiot by man's ttuthority^
but by divine authority. Your
covenants should .be eternal, aiid
sealed by divine juuthoriity, and then
you will have a elaiiu upon each
other. .. But. what ak)at your child-
ren, that were begotten while you
were yet amoiig the/ ndtions ? Oak
you ckm* thein in. the m<nrnin^:of
the resurrection 1 ISc : youcaiBiiot^
unless- tboy are sealed to you -by
proper- authority— r.yonr spns aind
your daughters most be/ sealed to
you, by one having authority froA
God.; otherwise you have no cj^til
upon them,: Why I JBecOiH^e.th^
were begotten under a marringe
with which the Lord-had nothing to
do, only to sufiPer it ; he suffered it
for a "wise purpose, ' that the human
species might not be destroyed, or
come to an end upon the e^irth ; but
as for commanding them he had
nothing to do with ' that ; oonseh
quentIy,not only your husbands and
wives have to be re-married, by
divine authority, but all of youir
children, that were bom to yoUj
under the old marriage, must be
sealed to you in order that you may
claim them in the morning of the
resurrection.
But this opens up another field, I
am talking to some whfo have a sec-
ond wife. You lost your first wife,
did you not^ and you re-married
according to the laws of the nations)
What about these two wives? one
living and the other dead; perhapft
the dead one was just as good as the
living; perhaps the person that died,
before you gathered here to these
mountains, was morally as good afi
any Latter-day Saint, lived up to all
the light and knowledge which she
was in possession of, yet she was not
married to you by divine authority
—what of her) Must, she stand
aside in the resurrectiou ! and the
second wife, because she happens to
live and to receive the Gospel, and to
gather iip from among the nations^
into the mountains^ > where the
authority to: adminster these ordi^
tiahces is revealed---mu9t ^he supi-
p\?Ltit the first one that happened to
fall into her. grave b^re she heard
these things) Must the first one
remain without her family, without
her children, abcording to the, ordefcr
thatexists-in the eternal world, while
the' second > one enjoys all these
things because :she happened to live
h».4:
JOVUNAL 0'^ DIBCQVKB^.
^n^V^miori^eiFh What do ydd tHixk'
MyiBkif it 1 Ar^ there no i^ovisions
smde fi)r tl^e fix«t wife that hafi
.fidl^ Aslei^p just as much as there is
(for the ^w>ni% fsir God i^ without
:ipeapec^ of p^ttsons, i^- far' ii people
are 'honest and obedient; and though
•people may fail to receive the fulness
of the blessings, ^pertaining tci the
Crdepel^ because it might not be sent
to them and they fall asleep, yet
Ood Wad not so short-sighted, ia
•laying of the plan of salvation, that he
')a^e*tio provielions for them. He
^ftiimiifeef provisions for* them Vaild
fiil *wliat way 1 That the living shall
-ac^for thfe dead; this is thfe provision.
HenCe, tW read concerning oiie (>f
the sacred and holy, ordinances,
jcal^ed <bapti$ta, Ifhat the saints in
4ho Corinthian church, in ancient
tifne^, ^ere baptised for those that
i^ere deaid. -What was the object of
4ihiB? 'The object was that eternal
'bles^sitt^s might be bestowed upon
those who were dead, because of the
actions of the living in tlieir behalf,
^providing that the dead would re-
ceive what was dOrte for them by
Hxe living. The same great Being
lihat ordained the principle of bap-
tism for and in behalf of the dead,
jdso' ordained eternal union through
^ther sacred ordinances referring to
lihe man and the woman, not only
lor the living but also for the dead,
that they might be benefited not only
(by the actions of the living in bap-
^m, but aikoby the acts of the living
in relation to the marriage covenant;
one is just as consistent as the other.
JSi there is any great principle that
lias a bearing . upon the eternal wet
ifare of the humaai &mily» any gceat
ordinance necessary to be attended
to that will ^ve them a right and
'title to eternal bleesinga, it matters
^lot whether it be. baptiiBm, or. i^
•laying on of* hands, or any^ olhiEff
ecnniiiamnce which GMhas.in^tituiied,
it 'Will Wii|^^i£ed in the etenud
ii^veKt. "^^ Well did the Apostle «ay^
^N^ittfer jii$ the man without the
tromin, netthelr the ^thout th^
man in the Xord." He understood
<ihe principle.
But shall we carry tJbis one step
further 1 I bare, spoken of these two
women, one d^ng without hearing
the "Gospel^ the other having all the
privileges of the Grospeli pertaining
to every blessing relating to eteri-
nity. Now if the living can act for
the dead, by proxy, in other worda^
if the Lord our God gives a comr
mandnient, to his living Saints, to
administer in all of these ordinan-
ces;/ for iind in behalf of the dea^
then th6 dead will have claim upoo
these sealing powers and ordinancei^
the same as thongh they were living.
Biit, says one, I- see one difficnltj
here.. Whajfc is itt . Why, if these
two women come forth in the resuiv
Erection, and these ordinances cure
recognized in heavem, the inan would
have two wives at once in the et«^
nal world, akid that would shock our
x^djisciences.very mucih! Well, the
Lord is not particularly anxious that
your conseiences should not be
shocked. He ds not going to swenrd
from the principles* of eternal truth
in ordet that your consciences or tra*
ditions may not be. in the least de-
gree disturbed. He is not going to
vary from \kas law, lie ordained ^tn
before tdxe fouixdation of the worH
in order to suit your's or anybody
eWs .conscience. But, says one,
that would be preaching up plu*
cality, for those ithat aie brought
totih in the '^tetsaal World. Two
wo^men would • go into the same
family, and be wives for all eternity;
and as ytou have said that the Lord
commanded : tfids nmltifMoation to
te(ke place, .when tiiey ^^i^ imm0^
tal beings, then,-qf ^codrse, both of
(th^se'wivei wcrald (TSiSe^^ip posteiit
VIRIONS OF HQ8IS, £TC^
995
in all ages of eternity, being immor-
tid personagcsy and thus fulfil the
gt^at and firatcomDaandment Now,
B&yh bife, these are the consequences
that girow out of the doctrines you
are' tieaching. I admit they are ;
perhaps you may be willing to admit
the truth of this, so far as eternity
is concerned, and those that have
left here without hearing the Grospel.
But let me ask a question here — Is
it any more right for two women to
claim the sanie husband, after they
come forth from the grave, than it is
for two women, here in time living
on this earth, to claim a man as their
husband ) If one is right, the other
is right also ; and if the latter is not
right, then the first doctrine that I
have named is not right.
But I have not got through with
this subject. There are other points
to be considered. I have only spok-
en of two women. Now, says one,
here is a woman who survives her
husband and marries a second hus-
band. The second husband receives
the Gospel and comes into the
Church; the first husband died
without ever hearing it. What are
you going to do wil£ him ? Do you
suppose that God, in laying down
the great plan of salvation would
forget to make any laws, provisions,
or conditions, in regard to these mat- -
tersi Not at all. He ha» or.dained
that every man who is worthy shall
have a family of his own ; bat he
never did ordain, neither before the
foundation of the world nor during
any of th^ dispensations that have
existed on the earth, that a woman
should have two huabands living at
the same time. He did ordain that
a maOi should haive two or more
wives^ and did anknowledge it,
sanoUfm' it, did bl^ss those that
entered into his ocder of marriage in
ancient times-; bat we have no
aocounib xxf his ever, approbating the
contrary. Well, Inquires one, what
will become of this good man that
happened to be jn this conditiqM
There are provisions 'ordai^ed from
before the foundation of the worl4>
which take into eonsideratiou 4l
these cases; namely,' thai a}! thjb
human family who have deid with-
out the law or between the dispen-
sations, When there was no diving
authority on the earth; shall lia^ve a
proper chance, by the living actinjj
for the dead; and as there are inn\^
merable females who have died and
who never had wives, provisions are
made for them all providing that
they embrace, in the spirit world
the great plan of salvation in all its
fulness,
We might say much more upon
this- subject. - We might set forth
before this congregation a case some-
thing like this : Here i? a young
man. He goes forth into the com-
munity, and seeks out a wife. He
goes before those holding divine au-
thority — power to bind on eart]i,and
it shall be bound in heaven — ^and he
is married to her for time and all
eternity. By and bye she dies. Per-
haps she o^y bare'hddb^eor two
children, perhaps she may not have
had any eluld;ren> as the; |C^(8e may
be. She dies, leaves her husband
still in his youth. Must this youth,
this good mfiXL, the man that has
kept the commandments of God
and been obedient to the* Gospel, of
the* Son of God — must he remain all
the days of his life, perhaps 50 or 60
years longer, without having the
privilege of taking anothef wife, hils
first wife having died? Oh, sayfa
one, the law does not forbid^ wlien^a
man'a wife dies, his taking anotheor.
Suppose he takes. anotSier, what
then 1 If he oonid have only diiB
wife after the resurrection from thje
dead, what would his second wife
do? . Would she not be apt to sa^.
296
JOURNAL OF DIS00XJRSB8.
** No, sir, you have a wife, she is in
' her grave, she was married to you
for time and all eternity, now I
desire a husband for all eternity
jnyself. Is there any provision
made for me if I go in as the second
wilef* Why, yes. The provision
is that both may be sealed to him
for time and all eternity and not
violate the law of God.
All these principles that I have
treated upon, pertaining to eternal
marriage, the very moment that
they are admitted to be true, it
brings in plurality of marriage, and
if plurality of marriage is not true
or in other words, if a man has no
divine right to marry two wives or
more in this world, then marriage
for eternity is not true, and your
faith is all vain, and all the sealing
ordinances and powers, pertaining
to marriages for eternity are vain,
worthless, good for nothing ; for as
sure as one is true the other also
must be true. Amen. .
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
DBLrVBBED IN THE TaBERNACLB, AT LOGAN, SUNDAY MORNING,
AUGUST IST, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibhs,)
'"XKVmjLtlOHy PROPHESYING, PREDICTIONS OF THE SERVANTS OF
GOD, ETC.
It is a common saying with us,
that the Lord has set his hand to
build up his kingdom ,• but, notwith-
/fltaoding, it is a true and a very
.interesting one. Let us turn. our
Ininds which way we will, as men
?€f God, as Elders in Israel, if we en-
}6y any portion of the Spirit of the
Lord, we cannot help seeing the
.liand of the Lord in his works in
these mountains and in the earth.
It is a difficult, matter, many times,
for men of the world to understand
the literal fulfilment of revelation ;
in fact, some of our leading men,
men of wisdom, men who have en-
joyed a good portion of the Spirit of
the Lord — ^it has been difficult for
them to understand the fulfilment
of prophecy. In conversation with
Bin^XLlTtON, mC.
197
persons with regard to th«i afflBdn'df
our nation, I remember President
Young telling them that there would
be a division in our nation* bettreeh
the North and South. <' But,'^ said
they, ** that cannot be ; the stabilitjy
of our governmont is of too durable
a nature to eve^ permit of any such
thing/' This is the way that our
leading men felt before the rebellion;
this is the way, as a general thing,
that leading men feel to-day. They
cannot comprehend, it is not in their
hearts to believe in the fulfilment 6f
prophecy ; they cannot understand
how it is that any power or wisdom
that Gk>d can exc^roise, can bring to
pass the prophecies that remain to
be fulfilled. We had examples of
this, as I have said. But the crisis
came ; a four years' war was waged,
whici) laid in the grave a million
and a half of the strength uf our na-
tion, and, as I have often said, and
whicl) I believe is true, cost them a
debt which th^eiy will never live to
pay. They could not comprehend
this until it was over. It is so with
our nation to-day; tiiey cannot
comprehend, notwitstanding , the
mighty evidence that is rolling be-
fore them lij^e the waves of the sea,
one event after another in their fui-
filment; but they cannot realize how
the Lord can make use of the ieiTe-
ments known to mankind to bring
about the destruction of > a nation
like ours. When^Brottd^er Jolin
Morgan was speaking, I was temiu-
ded of a ■ perbdn spirit that > arose' in
the hearts of men afSsw ^ars a^6,
incited through the oppression of
capital against labor. ' A iem men
rose up in Pittsburg and other places
in Pennsylvania,' and in. three days
destroyed somje twf^iiltymilliap dd-
lars worth of railroad propleity. When
this element onoe rises^ what power
has law, what* power have the offi-
cers oi the law or ihe^^vebnaaoentito
control it ) It cannot be controlled
by human power. As Latter-day
Saints, we can in a measure under-
stand, when we come to reflect that
God rules and overrules and can do
anything he has a mind to with
regard to the fuMbnent of these
events. I believe the Bible ; I
believe the Book of Mormon ; I
believe the Doctrine and Covenants,
and I believe that the predictions
they contain will in their fulfilment
roll upon our heads, snd upon the
heads of this nation, and upon the
heads of the peojple of Zion, and the
judgment of Ged, that have been
proclaimed in the hearing of the
people for the last fifty years,
through the mouth of Joseph Smith
and of Brigham Young and the apos*
ties and the elders of Israel, by the
gift and power of the Holy Ghost—
not one jot or tittle of what has been
declared will fall to be ground un-
fulfilled, and the Latter-day Saints
ought to be prepared for them. I
know many of these things look
dark when men ^ look upon them
with the* natural vision, ^and as a
consbquenoe doubt and unbelief fol-
' low; but when you look upon them
with yonr mind enlightened by the
Spirit' of God, the spirit of inspira-
tion aiKi revelktion, we then tire able
to understand them, and how easily
it is fok* God to bring to pass the pre-
dictions of his servants.
pOhe Lord, in a revelaidon given to
OrsoD Hyde and William McGlelkn
ih. the earl]^ days of the Church, in
eenJding them out to preaeh the Gto^
pel, told them that when 'they
preached ih&y should epeak as tihe^
were moved upon by the Holgr
Ghost ; and that if they did not haye
the Holy Spirit to direct them^ th^
were told nptto te»ch. "Andj'*
said th^ Lord,, ''.when you do:speak
as you are moved upon by the Holy
Ghost, youv words' ^Bxe the words of
^ss
joiAafJkh OP joxsoouBSBs.
Qedy ihej axe scripturey and they
are the mind of the Lord to the
people. ** (Sec. 68.) Many hare an
idea that it is something very strange
for men' now-a^ays to have revela-
tion, and that nobody should have
'veveiation excepting Brother Taylor.
Here, my brethren and sisters, you
are upholding the quorum of the
Twelve twice a year in G^eneral Con-
ference, besides doing so at yoiur
quarterly conference, as prophets,
seers and revelatorsy and yon pray
for them twice a day, And perhaps
oftener, and should it be anything
very strange if tliey should receive
a revelation 9 How strange, indeed!
There are in this Church some six
thousand seventies, and four thou-
sand high priests, and for thousand
elders, who hold the Melehisedec
priesthood, which is after the order
of the Son of God, besides misuiy
thousands of priests holding the
Aaronic priesthood, and I would like
to ask, if it was wrong to diesire
revelofeion f What business ihave We
with tbis priesthood, if we have not
rwer to receive revelation 1 What
the priesthood g^mn for 1 If we
do not have revelation, it is because
we do not live as we should live,
because we do not magnify our
priesthood as we ought to; if we did
we would not be withoutrevelaidoo,
lUHie would be barren or unfruitful.
We have one. man who hcdds the
'keys of the kingdoid ofGbdtipon
the eaith, and it is his bdiiness to
give the wokti of the Ijord fob the
-guidance of the Ghucch. But kei<e
vw^ have apostles: and men of Qod,
hdMing t^e holy priestkood, acting
jiki behalf of the Church indifferent
tjpartsof this Territory, and also in
^^ififerent ' paste of the eajrth j and .w^
hav^men, say, actitig lis- Church
.fagCBts in Euvope,' pkrt 'c^iwkbse
-$iifiinB8S it is to rcharter ships -foir the
trsiuiit' across :tbi6 oeeaoifqf .lensidf
thonsaiiids of the people of God ; is it
the xig^t of such men to have reve-
lifttion from the Lord to guide them
in their operations 1 Yes, it is ; and
no znanshould undertake to act in
positions affecting the interests of
2ion, unless he lives so as to be guid-
ed and directed by revelations of
God. And everjr man who presides
over a temi^ should live day by
day iii the revelations of Jesus
Christ. And evecy seventy, Biid
every high priesti, and every man
bearing the holy priesthood should
live in that way to get revelation to
guide and.diseot him in his labors.
This idea that no man has any right
to call upon God and receive revela-
ti<m iB'W9ong,.and it has been wrong
whenever it: has existed in any 9^
of the world. As was said of old,
when a eomplaLattr was made oon-
cemmg. certain of tlio elders prophe-
sying' in the Cai»|> of Israel, so say
I : " I would to: God that all were
prophets ;" because tke spirit of pro-
pbeby ia the testitnuotty oi* Jesus.
With nogard to. prophesying, I
wish to aajj?, that we have a great
'WSLuy tomes the TovelatiKHis of God
given, umto us thfough his spirit,
when we da not. comprehend what
revelation." is. How Aiany of you
have had tks stUl smsU voice of the
si^rit wkisper tibingsj to you, and
whea you have followed tlie dicta-
tioi^ of that' spirit it has become in
you . a. .principle • of. revelation. I
would ^notibe herj» to-da^ if I had
not listened to^it^ whisperings of
,t]^t< f^ «BkaU voicie- .which has
'guided 'me in {my journeyings ; I
D«Ter obuld have pissed through the
dafijgeroiia Irenes ttd incidents of
m^ life bad; I. not fallowed the
whisfieriiigs/^^eC tiie spirit of the Lord
to the. And: with regaiid to our
preaahitt^ I wiiyii^a9vthat<as apostles
ofGod andfias'inenr a{)p6inted to lead
I'dnd g»Mr IfTsA w^^bavo a great
RfiTflOLATION^ STC.
299
many thinga presented to our min<k
tisat at tibe tisaie appear to be beyond
otir <iom|)'r6beDaion* Brot^her Heber
0. Kimball) for instance^ whs a
natural prophet ; he would at times
ipiVe uttoranoe to things when preach-
ing, under the infiuence of the holy
Spirit that would frighten himself,
fliiid has many times heed known, to
flay after he had finished preaching,
^ What haye I said T I aim remind-
ed of a circamBtat)ice which oooiirred
la the early-settlement of Utah, at a
time wlijen we were all in very, dcati-
iiite circumstances, without the
shadow of ajiy reasonable hope fiH*
fleeing belter times. At such a time
Brother Kimball in preaishiug one
day told the congregation thut m^ny
months would not pass befur^ we
would be able to buy goods in Salt
Lake City as cheaply as they could
be bought in New York City.
When Bcothi^ Kimball had said this
he actually felt frightened for he
could not see how it could, come to
^a$6, but it was spoken under the
mfluence of the Holy Ghost, and
therefore it was revelation/ I. was
1|hJi>king to-day of ajtime many years
sgo, when President Young aud
several bJrethrenof the Twelve, werie
in Log^n ; it was . a time when a
niiroad up to this region was not
even dreamed ofi the time, when
SrotheraE^ra T. Benson and Peter
JUaughan presided here ; when at a
meeting President Young called .upon
-me to talk' to the people assembled.
.The night before, however, we had
.'been . met. by. a long line • of chikiiBn
"land young people^' from three up to
tivt^enty yearsof age ;, thejr had come
Issujb to meet/the prophet, and pre-
sented a fine sight. While tdl^g
tOfitUikrpBO^'lI'feJitjled'to.speiLk to,
tile'^hildreni^d yoiUigi people!;! mid
i told them that. I iwanted them ' to
JBenaenftber tbei.Tisit. which the presi
4Qi}ti waslstakiog^ tbsnl ^bebausfi tibe
day wodid come when they wens
grown up, when they would talk to
one another and. say, that on. such la
:day Preadeat Young and part^
visited us, and we were told theii
tha4^. we should see the day wheaa
templie should l)e buil]k in this place,
from tlie top of which we would be
iable to survey the country around
which would be occupied by ten
.thousand of our peo^e ; and you will.
say that this was told to us when
brother Benson and brother Maagban
presided here. We nevier thought
ot building a temple here at that
time, it had never entered into ihe
heart of man to do so. Brother
Benson and Maughan have been for
some years now in the spirit worid.
To-day you are engaged building a
temple which wilLbe oc^rpleted and
-dedicated ', and when this shali be
done these, young, people will' have
the opportunity of going to the top
of the building and will then see
what I promised to you in thode
early days.
I mention this to show you how
things are presented to our minds
.ftnd given utterance to in our public
teachings about which, at the time,
we have Kttle or no idea.
Wiien in the western country,
many years ago, before we came to-
the Rocky Mountains^ IhadadreauL
I dreamed of biding in these moun-
tains, and of seeing a large fine look-
ing temple erected in one of these
vdleys which was built of cut gran-
ite stone, I saw that ■ temple dedica-
ted, and I attended ib^ dedicatoiy
servioeS) and I saw' a good many
men that are living to-day in the-
midst of this people.. Arid !• saw
them oallied of God and sent forth
aiioto the UnitedStates and to Baby-
lon,>ior what is called the ChristiMi
world, to bind lip the.law^and sMl
upitl^'<iestixtM2ny against Uienatiobs
■of^.thel aarthj '.beckttsp they l^ad>(ti-
300
JOURNAL OF OISOOUHSES.
jected the testimony of Jesas, aad of
• the estaUiBhinent of the kingdom of
Grod upon the earth. When the
foundation of that temple v^ laid
i thought of my dream and a great
xn&ny times since. And whenevier
President Young held a council of
iihebrethrenofthe Twelve and talked
of building the temple of adobe or
Idick, which was done I would say
^to myself, "No, you will never do
.it;" because I had seen it in my
dream built of some other material.
I mention these things to show you
-that things are manifested to the
Latter-day Saints sometimes which
.we do not know anything about,
♦only as they are given by the Spirit
ofGod.
I will sav to Israel who are here
.to-day, we should take hold of this
' Work in earnest and build this tem-
• pie and redeem the dead as well as
« the living; and have faith in God
believing that this is the work of
<3od which will roll on to ibs fulfil-
ment in the earth. God will not
' disappoint you in thesethe last days;
he will not disappoint the wicked, he
will not disappoint the devils in hell,
.^or the angels of God in. the heaven
will not be disappointed with regard
.to the fulfilment of the revelations ;
whatever may be the unbelief of
this generation it will make no differ-
-enoe • with regard to the fulfilmeiit
of the revelations I of God and the
predictions of his servants. .
When in the- Tabernacle at Salt
Lake Oity on the '24th of July, in
looddng upon .the assembled mul-
vtitiide and in contemplating the
^magnitude and grandeur of the pro-
\ett8sion, I toid.to myself " What can
ibe the feelings of the worlds What
-^aia he the feeliags of our enemiss
rwlio. xtb laboring to /' break, "u^)
[Merm^onism," and who have fw
4iiLese many years past indulgiad m
4he ' lond expeotation^ . aad ». have
even gone so far as to predict
year aftier year that in a few
years more "Mormonism" will be
done awjty. The world do not
know what to do with "Mormon-
ism ;" the heads of our own nation
and the kings of the earth are alike
undecided, with regard to this hand-
ful of people that are erowing up in
these mountains. They see our
union and the work already accom-
plished by us; they see the elements
of prosperity and power manifested
in this people, and although they do
not say it themselves it is a fact, the
spirit of fear to a degree is talcing
hold of them, they are afraid that
the *^ Mormons" tell the truth when
tiie say the God of heaven has set
his hand again for the last time to
establish his rule and government
in the earth, which is destined to
become a great kingdom and fill the
whole earth. The great men of the
earth are not ignorant of the exist-
ence of this peo^e; they are stud3ring
our history, and they are watching
the result of our labors. Although
we are located in the interior of this
mountain country, and so recently
considered without the pale of civ-
ilization, the Latter-day Saints are
not hid from view, their light is not
under a bushel, but they are already
known and talked of throughout afl
Ohristeudom ; and this Zion wiU
continue to gsow and no power will
hinder it. < Let us prepare ourselves
ind keep the faithy obey the com-
mandments of God and exercise iaiiSi
in these ^things ; arid let bur prayers
•ascend into the eats of the Goa of
Sabaotdi day and uight, for the ful-
fihnent of tbese revelations and
prophecies.
' * The Lamanites willAailfiU. all th«t
>God;hils sai;d aboi}t' them^ and tU^
Jews will fulfiiliand realize aU'tiias
has been said respecting th^ and
all that has loeen proinised and pti^
BSVELATIONy ETC.
301
dieted upon their heads by their
father Jacob and by the prophets.
It was foretold by the prophet Moaes
that they should be driven and des-
pised by their enemies, and that
they should be cursed of. God, and
that his curse should follow them
until Christ came; and that they
would reject him, and then they
would be scattered as com is sifted
in a seive, etc. But hear it all Israel,
after your sorrow and pain and dis-
tress and after the days of your trib-
ulation, your great Eloheim will
stretch out his hand and gather you
from every nation wherever you are
driven, and he will bring you home
to your own land, and you shall re-
build, your temple and city, and you
shall be delivered by Shiloh when
he comes. That wUl be fulfilled;
and all that God has said with re-
gard to the ten tribes of Israel,
strange as it may i^pear, will come
to pass. They will, as has been said
concerning them, smite the rock,
and the mountains of ice will flow
before them, and a great highway
will be cast up, and their enemies
will become a prey to them; and their
records, and their choice treasures
they will bring with them to Zion.
These things are as true aa God
lives;
When I contemplate the coiiLdition
of our nation, and see that wicked-
ileas and abominations are increas-
ing, so.: much so that the whole heav-
ens groan and weep over the abomi-
Bations of this nation and this nar
tilons of the earth, I ask myself the
question, can the American nation
escape ). The answer comes,. NojiHs,
destmctiou, 9a well as the desdriici
tion of the world, is sure ; juat as
sure aA the Locd cut off and de-
stroyed the two great and prosperous
nations that once inhabited this
continent of North and South Amer-
ica, because of their wickedness, so
wiU he them destroy, and sooner or*,
later they .will reap the fruits of
their own wicked acts, and be num-
bered among the past.
I cannot help it ; I would to God
they would repent, that their eyea
might be opened to see their condi-
tion ; but the devil ha% power over
them ; he rules the children of men,
he holds Babylon in his own hand,
and leads the people whithersoVer
he will. There are changes await-
ing us, they are even nigh at our
very doors, and I know it by the
revelations of Jesus Christ ; I know
it by the visions of heaven : I know
it by the administrations of angels,
and I know it by the inspiration of
heaven, that is given to all men who>
seek the Lord ; and the hand of €k>d
will not stay these things. We have
no time to lose.
I pray God's blessing upon the
men working on the temple, and
his blessing upon the Saints, that
their liearts may be inclined to build
them. If you knew and understood
the feelings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, and those of his brethren as-^
sociated with him, and the feelinss
of the millions of the human family >
who are shut up in their prison
houses we would not tire, we would
labor with all our. might until the
building was finished and dedicated^
and then we would labor for the re-
demption of our dead. Ask Bishop
Hunter, if he ever expects to me^
with his friends and associate with .
those who have passed away^ unless
he redeems them in the fiesh, and'
he will tell you, no. He could nol*.
mingle with them if he did not re*
deiem them in the flesh. I. know tha:
samie, too.
I pray God to bless you, andto»
pour out his spirit upon my brethren
of the quorum of the Twelve, that
we may walk in the light and be
guided aright in all our uiinistra-
3D2
JOURNJUii Q7 19IS0OUBSES.
ixms. And I t^U yoii again ; God
-mil not disappoint you ; this king<-
dom will never go backward^ neither
wiU it ever be given into the hands
of another people ; but it will rest
upon the shoulders of our sons and
daughters when Christ comes in the
ciouds of hea,ven. We have no time
to throw away, or spend in the fool-
ish thinsrs of the flesh ; what time is
^t our disposal should be used in
building up the Zion of God, and in
preparing ourselves and our families
for the things that await us. Oh, I
wish many times that the vail was
lifted off the face of the Latter-day
Saints ; I wish we could see and
know the things of G-od as they do
who are laboring for the salvation of
the human family who are in the
spirit world ; for if tikis- were so, this,
whole people, with very few, if. any,
exceptions, wonld lose all interest in
the riches of the world, and instead
iJiereof their whole desires and
labors would be ddreoted to redeem
their dead, to perform' MthfuUy the
work and mission given us on earth ;
so that when we ourselves should '
pass behind the vail and meet with
Joseph and the ancient apostles, and •
others' who are watching over us
and who are deeply interested in our
labors, we might' feel satisfied in
havmg done our duty. !
This is how I feel, this is my fedt^^.
Xr^td theBiblcE, the Book of Mor-
mon tand the Book of Covemants,
add 1 look for everything, contained
in tlaem to be fufclled. We are
Bhaking histoiy day by. day, arid • we
ai» fulfilling the events which theyi
]^:edlcted would tranispire in the:
latter days. Isaiah^ whem he sawin
vision this people in the momntaiiaB^
exclaims: . • . )
' ' " Sing, heavens ; and be joyful,
O earth ; and break forth into sing-
ing, mountains ; for the Lord hath
comforted his people, iand will have
mercy on his aMicted.
"But Zion said, The Lord haOi
forsaken ihe, aad my Lord hath for-
gotten ma
** Can a woman forget her sucking
child^ thiat she could not have oonF
passion on the BiM of her womb I
yea, they may forget^ yet will I not
forget thee.'*'
In the own due time of the Lord
all things spoken by the prophets
will be literally fulfilled.
I pray God to help us to do our
duty and to help us to feel interested
in our labors in tne flesh. And as a
closing remark, seeing that this ik
election time, I will say, do not, my-
brethren, allow the spirit of conten-
tion and dissension to creep in among^
you. I am ashamed of some of our
people whoy instead of using their
pawersandinfliienceinendeavorineto^
unite the people, go towork^nd raise*
strife, and the , result is that' in some
of our cities an opposition ticketi ier
gotten up; and our own > people is'
&ese places divide one. a^nst the^
other. I say, shame on the elder ot
man holding the priesthood, the
authority delegated to him by hi^
heaveoy who will do-this thing j 'the
havens are displeased /with such a)
imaiij and unless' herepmts ha wiUt
cectaibiy^ be found numb^ed^ "witli;
.thosei who are arrayedi a^inst Qd
land hid kingdom on the ^sMi, '■ .< W«i
^ve the >i(dlifolei^Ti^tld' agal^ \&f
besides many evil spirits to o(s^t€9i(t^
jwi&y.and we certoinly sh'oiild Bot^
Idivide one against another. ?
\ May:.6od bless Isi^, is ^ ^aytny
through Jesus .'Ohiist,' Ameift;!
■ i.1
1--
A acresmjs-'BiitTHDA/ary.xxa
SOS:
DISC0UR3E BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Dewverbd in The Tab^bjnaclb, Salt LakB QXty^ Simply Afternoon,
$3BPT. 19th, 1380*
(Reported by John Irvine,)
Jin^OUBLB JBIRTHDAY — THB AUTHORITY OF THtt PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
'It is witih peculiar feelingia that I
arbe* to adidG?ess this congregation
who are assembled this atteruooo.
A^ 'event in regard to myself has
thi^ day happened Uiat geperally
oidy happens once in the course of a
mafi's life. Fifty yeajB ago tonday I
wa9 bapti^. into, the Cfauroh of
Jie&us Christ of lta;t]ter-d9^y .faints;
Hence, it mj^t he ^d th^t i^ i& i^.
r^sdity a 3rear of jubUee, so far as I
aii'^c0ncerned-r-l n^ati th^t. the past
y#ar, which i^ liie &tieth year <^f
n^y^* membership i^, the Church,
closing with to49y»,h2|s,t)f^ny^n(^^
, U^ej?e iE^anbtb£|ir:#li^gi»:A!9?u^pt0d
w|^ these, fifty year^'iii tfhe Church,
thiv^ ii^ ,aliso pleasiiti^ I^Piy^r:' h^mUe
s^^oit., Sixt9^nixbe. y^ars ago. to-
day. I was born iat^ this world,
QiaEi^g tbiB^ diay ih> douMe>b|rthr
d^jyjto w^lf» Hpw T«fy .tfeanlrfuj
I otfgbjt.tp be for this §M^^f j«ri,vilege
W;hiob has beett b^t6w,ed,i:ipQn..me<
53fe':'h«MWig Qf ^ feto^W' of' the.
ejQcrlaetii^ Croq^KJy .yiel%g, objfidi-
€ii9i9'e toi the 8i»m% acid eat^en^g.iilto
my (6ar]y youth, certainly is a bles-
sing that is worthy of all thanks and
praise to my Father who is in hea- ,
ven, who, grftnted this privilege to
me. in my youth. There were many
scores of millions — ^yes, hundreds of
milliohs (^f the inhabitants of our
globe'^tliat .did not einjoy this
privilege. . ; , '
.It s^ms that tiie Lord our God,
some fifty years ago and a little up-
wards, s^w proper to organize his
king^m, • tq jcstablish it on the earth
by the ministration of holy angels,
a^d, by^the WelatioAS of his Spirit,
and by^Si^dingxlown authority from .
tbeiheaveni^to minister here on the
eai^)i, ma hj^ bringing forth that'
gpreat and precious record, the Book -
<)i ili^ttmtx^ and causing, the same
to: be ;printi9(t for the. benefit of all
ml^ihd: How gx^eat a privilege
coi^ffirr^don m^j'to come to the un-
defsta^ding^'of'tbe contents of that
b<}olc ;tK!(uBtif i.was but nineteen yean
or'9g(^1 Po^' great a privilege to
lilfe>}i, ^.d^^ ana age of the world,
Mfh^h: (Jod h£& £^ain revealed bhfi:'
f,chil
self tovthe^children of men ! Hiem
ao4
JOUHKAL OF *DISOOUSSB&
have been many periods of time
since the creation in which the heav-
ens, in an especial manner, have
been favorable to the children of
men, by sending communications
and revelations from on high. But
a loug time had intervened, during
which no such privilege had been
granted to mortal man. So far as
the nations of the Eastern Hemi-
sphere were concerned, upwards of
seventeen centuries had passed
away, during which they were left
in darkness, having no legally au-
thorized minister, no one that could
legally baptize, or administer the
Lonrs Supper, or build the Church
of God, or administer in any of the
ordinances of his Gospel; that was a
long time for the nations to be left
in darkness. So far as our Western
Hemisphere is concerned, they were
not left quite so long a period with-
out information from the heavens.
Some fourteen hundred years and
upwards had passed away, on this
Western continent, during which
the people were left in darkness;
hence, the whole earth for fourteen
centuries, at least, had no Grospel
preached by divine authority, no
Church of the Kving God in any
quarter thereof — so far as we are ac-
quainted. It is true, that during
these fourteen centuries the nations
had a book that contained the history
of the Gk>spel as it was preachiBd in
ancient times-s-^a book called the Bi-
ble. But a book containing the his-
tory of the Gospel is one thing, land
the power and authority to adminis-
ter the ordinances of the Gospel iis'
another thing; they ai^e entirely dis-
tinct. A book, iti^elf, authorizes Ho
man, under the' whole heavens,' to
build lip the Chiirdi o^ Christ • it'
authorizes no man to preach- thfe^
Gk)spel., No tnan ^ver re^iyes divine
authoritjr; by means ^of ai' inciisnt
b8^k4hali was git eh to^ptt)phetisand
inspired men centuries before he was
born. We never knew of the Lord's
calling men by ancient books. K
the Lord calls any one In this day,
it is by a new revelation, not a reve-
lation given 1800 years ago, How
inconsistent it would be to suppose
that a man is now called to sit in
the presidential chair of the United
States, because we have the history
that Washington once sat in that
chair. Would that authorize any
person, among the scores of niillions
of the population of these States, to
go and tske possession of that chair,
and undertake to administer in the
office of a president over this great
people) The thing would be so
ridiculously absurd, that the people
would rise up universally and con-
demn any such imposition. So in
regard to the things of God. God is
a God of order. And if mankind
have an order in relation to authority
to administer in governmental affairs,
how much more the Ijord 1 Has he
not as much wisdom as his creatures?
Is the Lord so much beneath his
own creation that he would prefer
illegality to legality ? that he would
let any one assume the authority
and power without calling him to an
account in the gfreat judgment day?
" But," inquires one, ** how do you .
know, Mr. Pratt, but what the
Loi'd has called some one during the
many iSdnturies that you say the
people have livedih darkness? Howdp
yoii know but what he has authorized
servants and ministers, to proelaim
his Gospel amdng the children of
men f^j Now tfcas is a veiy import-
ant point, t db not blame those
who, have n6t considered this sub-
ject, in pliitihg such a question. It
is ^perfbutly reasonable that they'
should ittquire h<)>w a' J^icii^n may
kiiow ' w'bitb grounds w'e -hiire for
sttppo^ng that thei^' ba£p't>eeti no'
one cdmmissioned ^thidivini^ autho*^
'A bbuBUE BnrrHDAY, Etc.
395
t^ty, Slturin^ the foiirieefn centuries U and eadb sUcceediflg eentiiiy
twIiJiW rblled bvei' the heads of down to Oitr own time^
Here, then, larised anothevt|ue8tion
— ^may not the authority kar« thus
been transferred 1 I answer-^ where
the jBeople, iintil'the^Eord sent' his
'liiiffCT, upwards of fifty years ago,
' aM TesforVd the ' authority. There
ifre 'f arioiis reasons that can be ad-
VHTice,d 'to prove that the earth has
Tbfeen d^i^titute of khy suchtothority.
thiVffe^on is, that among the three
yoi foui^Kuiidred infflions of Christen-
ddm, or those who profess to be the
followeri^ of Christ; we find one uni-
vfersiil b(§lief among them, and they
have acted upon that belief, namely:
that God gives no new revelation to
the 'inhabitants of the earth during
'theii' day. That is enough for tne ;
it fe ail the evidence that I would
want;^ although th^e is an* abun-
dance of other evidence ; but that is
sufficient for me to know that God
never sent them; " But," enquires
one,'**iiaiaynot a J)el'son be sent of
the Lord, be divinely commissioned,
arid yet iio revelation b^ given in his
day T*' ■ i answer; impossible, impos-
•siWeff^ • * But," you may still further
inqdire^ **may ndt others who re-
cefiVed ffivine revelation in ancient
times, liaye communicated that au-
thority ' to. their cofemjporairies who
outlived them 1 And'ttajr not th6se
coteinjisraries, thtfd, "teeelvin j divine
authoiSff, have' conferred it upon
bthers^ still younger, and- they up6ti
Qth^xs'l' And' thn^';ma3rnbt -the au-
thoritj'^liaVe 'be^ lffnd«J down by *
ai %6gular succession cJT brdinaSion,
llom'tftii dats «f tK* ipt5^fes to wir
lown-'-perio/bftim^f*^; T wiH -Say^
Mi Wmi he^mile;jvLkt ttie-iatoe
has there been an unl^^oken succes-
sion of that same authority that was
administered in the first century I
I will tell you where the succession
was broken. In the very period
that new revelation ceased to be
given to the human family, no fa-
ther succession could be continued.
It would be impossible for any pep-
son to be ordained with divine au-
thority, for instance, to the apostle
ship, unless there was some persoai
that had authority, and had really
obtained divine intelligence^ by new
revelation, from the -heavens, that
such authority should be conferred
upon some other person. Wheik did
divine revelation cease) Whero
shall we go for testimony lipoa this
subject? So far as the inhabitants
of the eastern portions of our globe
were concerned, divine authority
ceased about the close of the irst
century of the Christian -era; Why
did it cease )' Because, we have no
account of any new^revelation-havk^
been ^Ven after thf»^oIp6e>of4hAt
century ; and whiai '^ew iffpsAsi&aa
ceased/ divine cftUingS ceased; diidne
authority ceased ; persons eeitsed' to
confer l^at imthority in^^siieo^s^ik';
because, for ibis ebvi««is reson^tbejfy
iiithotit new revelaticmy 4M ii«t^Eid^9r
whorn^ to eall^ ^he^ did^not^i^kHMr
"Who shiyald b«) ftuthc«i^ed^ t^ fteoehnB
th^ apostleship/ e^^ftHjf^ otiieiHllKHii^
Every personydtstKDlg- iiiisr'tAMi^xir
tuiyof the Gfasrislian ei^vv^ii^
«i«aiiied wiUi >tfti*ttttty>4ti*5;psw«r
i^^:6idiimsikft6m omW^b- ^o itdminiBter' in^ tlie«»diU»iMeBV^
COl
tlte Ods^'wi^> ikdsiss^i^%f^
tr{»rit bf pjEopl^> aM ii^diifttoa.
VoL
306
JOURNAL OF DISGOURSBS.
stowed upon him through the laying
on of the h^nds of the servants of
God, or of those who were, authorized^
by new revelation, to administer
and to confer authority upon him.
Thus it is written in this good book
(the Bible) that Paul, who was au-
thorized as an apostle, called Timo-
thy by virtue of the spirit of revela-
tion and prophecy. " Neglect not,"
said Paul, '^. the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy
with the laying of the hands of the
presbytery." And when we speak
of missions, in those early periods of
Christianity no person assumed to
go on a inission among the inhabi-
tants of the earth, unless he was
sent, unless he was set apart. Even
as great a man as the Apostle Paul
had ho authority to go forth as a
sssissionary, only by the laying on of hibitants of the eairth, Philip had
the hands of the persons who admin- ^ done a great work in the city of Sa-
tion, from time to time, to di^eet
him in all his missonary labors. !We
have abundant testimony in the Kew
Testament concerning this matte]:.
Ev«a when aome of the very greatest
revelators that we have any record
of, undertook to do things of their
own accord, they were led directly
different from th/ir own judgment.,
in regard to their missionary labors.
Paul had, at a certain time, a great
desire to visit a certain plaice ] sueh
desire arose from his own natural
judgment; but the Holy Ghost for-
bade him. Here it required a new
revelation to know whether his own
inclinations should be followed or
not. Again, we find that the reve-
lations of the Most High were very
necessary, in the case of the travels
of these missionaries, ai^ong the in-
istered to him. Hence, it is written
. in the Acts of the Apostles, that the
Holy Ghost said unto certain proph-
ets that were in the Church at Anti*
och, " Separate me Barnabas and
Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them," Here is a new reve-
lation. Saul could not be separated
and set apart to any work of the
sxun£itry, only as the Lord called
Idm;; and( that calling was made
lnown to ithe prophets that were in
-the QhwB&h at jAoitioch. If perad-
.T6nturQ,'a.mmhad b^en called by
ibe ,6|uit of revelation ^and prophecy,
-«]ui.8et'v»pii2et by the layiog of the
iluttuk of a i^phet or apostle, to be
.an ei^peeial minister to the nations
'Ofth^csaFthith^e would arise still
:4»othe» gi^t que^on to be solved,
•in nsgai^:iipwM>h^r that man» thus
'met apAcj^ itmid^ ifulfil tb« object of
4a$ ]»issi(»i%; lyithout joew xevelatioii 1
J.mpih^ it,|i^oidd be ut^rlyim-
-fiQmhbi^. No Bdan ean fill a mj^om
•«Mpt^ibly;;^.bef(^Te rtb«r heavens, un-
4«» €l»i|d»boiil4 gi^ rev€]a-
• - TT.
mana. He had succeeded m con-
vincing large numbers, concerning
Jesus, and had baptized them, and
organized a great church in the city
of Samaria. One would have thought,
that after having performed labors
of such magnitude,, he . would be
required to stay among that people,
and adininister to them; biit.no; the
Lord gave a new revelation to the
mai^ Philip. He said, ** Arise and
go, toward the south, ^^^^<^^^®/^^
^^tj.goeth down from Jerusalem
ijtntq JCraza,^ wKich is. desert** In
othe]^ .wo^ds, "leave your present
fid4 Q^ labor. ;yQU can^ do.moregood
somewhere else." Now, a man left
tp.his .own judgment, wiiKout new
, jrevelation, , wpuld , not .want to go
S'PimeT^liei:^ els^; bis ojwil inclinations
wpu|d be to jstay wher0 so.many had
i]l9CQivQdJl^is,testu;ippy.. Biat no; the
Spijrit ^ Gfod, 't^oiighi ijifferehtly.
"Anse Philip, go, unto .the sQufli
country." ; lie vas not told what he
sbpuld do in the South .^qiintry, biit
^ stfu^d pff SM^cordin^ to
i4«.
-.ri.
▲ DOUBLE BIRTHDAT, ETC.
SOT
Terelation. And after journeying a
ishort distance, hesawa chariot before
him, probably driving along at a
dow pace, and it required another
revelation. The old one that he got
awhile before, requiring him to go
to the south, he had already begun
to fulfil. But whUe he yet journe-
yed, he did not know his further
duty; and if Grod had not given him
new revelations, he would have gone
forth blindly in his missionary
labor. But another revelation
came, '^ Go near and join thyself
to his chariot." He therefore
obeyed, and when he arrived at the
chariot, he found a man reading
not the new Testament, but the
law and the prophets; Philip, being
wrought upon by the Holy Ghost,
said unto this man, ^^Understi^ndest
thou what thou readestf* ''How
can J," said the man in the chariot,
except some man should guide mel"
And Philip began to explain unto
him, the things that he happened to '
be reading from the prophecies of
Isaiah, concerning Jesus, and Philip
wits invited into the chariot. They
rode along until they came to where .
there was water of sufficient depth
to attend to baptism, for it seems
that PhUip had converted, or, in
other words, had proved by his
arguments that Jesus was the very
Obist, and the'man desired baptism
and the chariot stood still, and
Philip weoit down into the water
and baptised him. Now Philip had
no authority to confirm by the.ky-
ing on of hands, as is evident^ in the
'^case of those who were baptijced in
the great city of Samaria. There
Was great rejoicing there because
Philip had bs^tized them, but none,
had teceived the Holy Ohost^ till
another authority, lughor than that
•of Philip, came and.bad hands upon*
them for the reception of the Holy-
"Ohost ; haviz^ baptized these peo-
ple, he could go no further; he could
not adminiateor the blessing of the
Holy- Ghost ; and hence^ having ful-
filled the ol^'ect of the two revela-
tions OB this subject, the Lord had
another place for Mm. He did not
go there of bis own accord, but it
required a very powerful manifesta^
tion to get him away from that
water; the scriptures testify that
<^ the spirit of the liord caught away
Philip, that the eunuch saw him no
more; and he went on his way
rejoicing," Have you ever heaid
anything of the kind in these days,
where men, in fulfilling their mis-
sions, have been caught away to
some, other place 1 ^^ But they that
wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength ; they shall mount up
with the wings of eagles," says the
Prophet IsaiaJi. Philip must have
been borne, as it were upon eagle's
wings. Now if a person — a man
light enough, I mean — could get on
an eagle-s wings and be carried
through the air, it would be a very
good representation ef some of those
that wait upon the Lord. .
I' mention these various circum-
stance»-Aand might mention scores
of others — to show, that without the
Spirit of the living God, to inipM
revelations, no man could administer
to 'his fellow man, no man would
have the authority to administer.
This brings me back to the state-
ment I have already made. , You
recollect the question is, can it be
proved, or is there any evidence
that there has been any man called
to the ministry among all the nations
during the long period to which I
have referred 1 We take their own
testimony. They say that there has
been no revelation since the first
century of the Christian era. Who
says sol The whole Catholic
church to begin with, and the Greek
Churchi another branch of tixe
UOli,^^^*' ^
!/>C .' «
308 JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
^ag^st^h^ ^w(r'rt]^ime^^<libd'-t ''^S'ift^'lihneiye^ pasted.^
^' continttM th<$ «liiii« fsMi mJd^^s^s, the S^^ndvdaj^/oC' Septigmaibei^, since ~
^^ "^t nl^'^^w f6V«lation<'iS'i6dM€fd— 'I tbe goid^plate»of thiQ £ook of/ M^r-
*^veii tbwardr^«j e*ose''6f tki^»^st
' d^ttiry t>f thtEFChiiistiaii^wu * They
^ do not teeai to - itnow Kbw ^sddk - an
'^ Expression, if admitted, cutH them
* <3ff f«>m a*l authority and power'
": 'trhidj are cSvlne ; ^y do n»t seem
*^%6 know that'^hey cannot possibly
**be brdafeied by «^ proper authority,
•**thite8d' Gk)d ^peater 'figain 'p th^^do-
^H^t seete'to ftmow that t*ie^ wiitings:
'■'i^!6{ "men ^\^ho-are d^^ and'^^^e,
^'^feen*arieisr «go; do^not a^thoriz6i%hem
^/^ preadhi t^ Gospel, ^drgwf^e'^em
'^''^satjr ditirie'^dthbri'^ «>' administer
^*«lts ordi^tfftCBs. - HeiSger you^$ee' the
'^\iriq^s6a!»ai<y''Df'there b^g^^a^^t©^-*'
^4fea!'-"6U(5Cessi6(ft ftDin*'' g«4^itioH^^tO'<
f^^neractioii^bdcagtiee'ofJ ih«:-tWtt]*' of
***dw^* n>t«feitioi*i"*' : - Ar>--'g*6»tt '>«fl|ny r
other testhfiitmi«S*n»gttt br^bi^Oit^ht'
moa were <defiTXiMl;diM^o tli«^.hacida-
of ia. boy, ^by ihe^aaane of Joa^h.
Smitb, ai^-lGsiniQter's'boy, aaillit^Bttbe
boyy v^unedttoated m the- hi^huer
bnmebes of learmng/ uneducaUed in
regard to wh&t is contiEdned in the
Oid and New Testament, uneduoa-
ted in the dogiiias and creeds of
m^, uneducated in all branches of
science, except it ^be some. of the
first principles) ,- the radiments .o€
edncabioii^ as taught pi the conuaon
^aahoolif of ikh $tata of New Yogk.
I'Bfly-, iifty three ^yeais (have i almoBt-
expired' since tiusgreat; this marvel-
^^^ thia/Wond«Kfol«^ent'hap|)eiiied ;.
since an angeL e£> Giod rdeliveced
sacred^ records into the^han'ds :a£ ^an.
ill^efl»te^ eouumon youth, noit jet
tw)6Aty4woiyeat8 >ef age^» Sudi was
thb beguini&g, :a9 i^wwre, ^of^lb ^jreat
revelation. :vI~will.n!Qt say the/pre-
j^tb'ffrove^^t^is fats^} bot^^tiAS dneis cisetime^ftfaebegismiig^foroG^d
*?%nffictettt.^- \" Wieft the»,''-«9«-one,
>:i if I jotir ^'aj'getticftits bfe ti«e^* ^ jmr
^•^^nfef %e dorrect/fthere had' feber<no
^;'<9mitito^Mxnrdl^ o^^ ^^f^^h^^for
^^^fcu^hy^'^nemtions; "^^ c»& 6ctaie
l*»i^'liO^<^h«: cOftiahMlon j'thereis no
^Iilil^^y Hbi£^iess«'^^^ 'ft. »' ^ Wev< ktion . was^given tttMAf- theJnit ane
I'^jeome tc^lwltt^ilhfiAlt theare 'ha«'(laiiBen*«' 4e>erer:rec«ited; • . Inra gi»dlbr^d
'^^nb cAlAreJi on^ll««Sd*th ihcMSc^
^fmfgidz«^9iS*)s^k}^^fioi^^ rpmy^t^' libere^waa the^maiufeBtaAitii
M$ldrt««»H^ a^itt^s, ^ iiA^/^and'^of't^oi^if^^^^
^^ th^^iMti^£rM>f'2d(siil^and'^^^4liiere' "i^en^^^ biit^tivo^'^ijisonf^ldiatvlioLd
^>%as'%isifai liMio' s&ce ^itSm¥4iii''the»i^i^'^iej»'^ mt&arifif met, ail the
t»mim' a*m^fvi^^!^tmk)m^i1Sf1»<^ovi ^#v#4heyt y^6odrtii^.EteiiiidEa^er
'^tKe ivSM>imism^^tt^»i^^i^^ Seft.M7e8^B^<Cllii»8tf^t&^^
l^««bR(P«i^irw#'# GiOSi<IM iM'^n'^t^rlda i'KTk^^ f^hm«JBe8
revelation ; ^and this brings me | ages whose countenances outshone
'pirbr tft this tikne, had' given ^evda-
Ihoa to thii^ youths «n many ocoasioas.
The fiiett^nrithat he> gaVe to htiii<
was in ^ 1^' v^pifaig pf 1620j^^brfare
JosqtA fimitk-twas *of'-ihe.agp>.;of
fiflfe^^. The!r^«r^w«)todeE&il tesnglar
A DOUBLE BIRTHDAY, ETC. 309
the sun at noonday ; two personages phets among us to write these
;fra»i:«ftQeiwig.^.«r iw^^iftvelj^PIM^
hjmk* ^He)«iiwrjth«irxwint«ftnao«4 ;
h^j^ii^^tbe'dyodT^df theirjommeiluigeQ^
pQiai3(i;t»iJu« Sw «u€;f«aidi.'.io't^^
saahi^.v^>;Thi3*vii(^litt7if bo}i>ve(i Sua m
w^ni4:\fM3i:rweIl< pItiilsed«^^ ^wTbkk
Was;a ixew^>3^Yala^B;^ something
different itotHifwhn^: had been, o^ade;
majiifest.for av^reat-i^aaiy centuries, •
«ecQcdin^*jb0 tii^e ideokrati^r- of the
artides and'isiM»eds of mem iHqw
oftenlbave-rigiid the deolliration of
EdDg Jaia6s\itvans}i^or of the Bible,
whereii!k^.Kiing(Ja^ed is represented
as i th0r bei^d' . .of r.the danrcb, and
wherein rtbos^iblti^ as transited by^
those tba^t wei;e(QboseQAnd-^pointed
foi^;that.purp0^, yrm intendied. f(yV(
thei light and.b^ie^ of the ohUdi^xl
of men.'^ a^4^ 'fear thai mankind
would .C«lvil^onihov subject -these
uninspired ineb, < tlle\ tiranslators^ in
connoetioii witk tkose who were in
their xisounciJi^ cQnalu4ed to toll the^
people that l^his ' waai the whole canon
ofsojip^ure; inOtber^w^rds^ tve-bave
transkledvSixty^eix books^ and they
are cpmpil«drQr 9'bout'to be compiled
and pip:ftteKi foE the beii^t of' miuiH
kind jv ,a»d tb0se.8ixty-si3E book$ oi.
th)9 Old imd Neiw Testament are the
only bpak«; -that CbrisfeUins should
reoeiv% . tb^ • only. rev^latioB: th^t
they should :bave to^.guidi^ /them- in'
all th^ir^vfuture live^' Tbfc peo|^€>
were- justrjsimple Tendngh^ to believers
what: they saidj-^ust-simplfi enough .
to take it for panted,' bedause learned
men, that were not inspired of God, .
had made this unqualified, unpi^ved.
declaratiaxL Now^." we, the Ghurck
of Eztgland^ must get up, . besides >
these i66. books^; some ^Articles lof ^
Pwth'---80(ine thirty-oanebArticbs we
will invent :Wa jhaije got jgio pnOr
tH9^...66^.bo<dja,^ f^eiksA 4ihe>BibJ%rf:
co^taiiii^^l) th^. j^#latio|i ^%ti-.CM>xii
^vej^ga^ye ^tp i^n.V./:; W^t fpJth^ir
liav^ryo»4o sflgr^n iym^ 4ibirtyj^afe^0-
^TtadBsin^'W^ say,: tbitt^fivaiy p^jF^l
son ^ Jthditr^jQ^' i;^o^ limit«4uxd fM>ivl%iie«^<]
hi6Nfat4>kfto rtbe <Bbct^#i( b^okib^i
th^r01d^Ax^dvK6w,tT$»tt9aqQ^^ty<>4>r Afiif
he ^und^^^es jto ri^oeiv^. an^foUxec;^ j^
veyektiw. ;he i^tp be wpoUed ^v»^\
.ouEjohdBirchv Thi*.4s*srhatis said-^r^;*
not dkei^^r'bi^^ i^difieCitlyrt 'I^othe];4
wopdfr,.€veryr persoa whjp« prete^tda- to ^
be.a prxjpi^,. h»- iajaofo^^^ bf^ a jwnf.
«on ^ofHwid^t^d woftby <dl bej^ngiiig^i:^
to- qur^. ebwrofe" 'vMHafi».fl^ otb0r»»
chutck birt' ihfi Ctawph, piEwglattdv
adofMbed tk^se :i£o.Ise,/6Q\|lrde&tjFoyi9g;f
deliisiQ.nfi.iiiYes,.agi:eat«ian}r<i^tke»s.. -
T^yr hiaL^^iiiiye&tod .aJJttclent-^Bofc'-;
ex^tjy. jbhirjiy-nineji but rartietes-of <;
faith>^ici»0d9[<tha afe ^c^^led in ^pmiei,^
ih^f^iceSj,. a^ui'Kdiscipliaiiesin otbei^^x
and; Bo,o,n.' .'■. "VSTba^ ar^ the objects pfcf
th^e^i vTheyriu'&» not>ii?P¥ela1iioa;.
God . bad t j^LOti^Ag ito.do Hwith^giving^
thc^, men i wrote tfeefli; /put tof then>
own, nninsipireibeaifctay bibt tbey w^r^r
all .very oar^ful to liake^np l4l^. ideas,,
, inculcated in the ^lajs of King Ja^os> ^
nam^ly* th«^t,Xh0;d2Obyf8ixr bopkft o£#
the jOldr'and Now Test^^e»fe w^jceJt^ -
bevtbeii? ajple^ of jWih, .aind. be itheir,?
^ui4e. .and xao thing ebe ,?\*fi«^ ito^b^it:
reQeived ^sii^spired.' Ob>ho<\i^ blind K
If xbey>4id but know it Jtbeso veiyi
declarations in these ardeles ; aadt
creeds would cut. them off from allf^
authority. , But they were just ^im-v
pie ^Jenough^ to receive, sudh a.falflOr
doqtrine j just simplQ. enough ioi
accept » .tfieij: ; w^izxt ^ , of . autboi^'-
befere>Gad; iMidvthn^.by theiat o^'
>#!•
:{« li->.iUJi',';«,4*>)rt*,
fl'V
•',?*si*;'V«
i^^U
r »r
310
JOXTENAL OF DISGOURSBA,
aeknowledgement, hj their own
printed works tbey prove to the
whde world that Grod did not eeiab-
lish their ohunshefej t}iat Ood did siot
estaUifih among them the ancient
order of things; for the* ancient
church of the living God was never
destitude of the spirit of revelation.
'If the Lord had left us in this
CGE^ition, we would have been wan*-
deting in darkne^ to this da^. The
people who are here assembled this
afternoon, would be no better oS
than the Protestant denominations,
no better off than the Greek and
Boman Chatolic Churches that have
existed from generation to genera*
tion, during many long centuries of
apostacy. But God having looked
upon the darkness that covered the
earth, and the minds of the people,
having looked upon the people that
w^e honest in heart, and seeing the
dilemma in which they were plitced
-T-without inspiration, without any
knowledge that comes from heaven
in their day, without any one who
has the right and the authority from
heaven to baptize — concluded tofuU-
fil that which was predicted by the
ancient apostles, namely, to send an
angel again to the inhabitants of the
earth. It was a long time for the
earth to be left without angels. Per-
haps some of you may inquire,
" Why did the Lord leave the peo-
ple so long 1 Why did so many gen-
erations pass away, and no Church
of Christ on the earth, no prophets,
no revelators, etc.f ' It was because
of the apostasy of the people ; and
then after the apostasy commenced^
near the close of the first century,
they killed off the apostles, prophets
and revelators — killed off the Saints
who embraced the true Gospel, and
the world became so exceedingly
wicked and corrupt that the Lord
did not see proper to send them any
other message. But perhaps you
may mquire, must all those people
who have lived so many generations
ago, go down to an endless perdition
ib the etenal'worlds, because no one
had authorify on the earth to ad-
minister Gkwpel ordinances ta themt
Nie; the Lord is more just than this.
Every man and every voman that
has not had the privilege of hearing
thetxospel in this Hfe, preached l^
one holding divine authority, will
have the opportunity of hearing it
in the world to come; so that there
is no partiality, so far as the preach-
ing of the Gospel is concerned. But^
says one, there is a little partiality,
it seems to me ; for some have the
privilege of hearing the Gospel in
this life, instead of waiting till the
next. But the Lord in looking upon
the various generations upon the
earth, judges after this wise : that
when a people become so darkened,
through their own apostacy, through
their own wickedness, through their
shedding the blood of righteous men,
the Lord sees proper, because of
this, to make them wait. If the
true authority had been revealed,
during the time of the administra*
tion of these corrupt men, the Gospel
would have been banished again
from the earth. For instance, if
God had sent the angel in the second
century of the Christian era, to re-
new his church on the earth, what
Would have been the consequence t
There would have been no place
upon all the face of the globe, where
the people would have suffered such
a church to exist. If he had sent the
angel in the third century, or in the
fourth, or in any of the centuries in*
terventing, beforereligious liberty was
established, the consequence would
have been the shedding of the blood
of apostles, prophets and saints again;
and in order that they might not
bring* upon themselves this great
condemnation the Lord saw that it
A DOtJBLK BIRTHDAY, ETC.
311
was far better to postpone tlie send-
ing of the angel, until he should
prepare, among the political govern-
ments of the earth, a nation where
the church pould exist, atid have a
little degree of safety." And even
our nation, the best nation on the
earth, having the wisest laws, laws
that are calculated, if put into exe-
cution, to protect all religious de-
nominations, laws founded upon jus-
tice and principles of equity — even
in our nation, it has been just as
much as the Lord could do, Avithout
destroying the agency of man to get
his Church once more established
on the earth. See what persecution
has attended it ! See what hatred !
See the Saints fleeing before infuri-
ated mcbs ; men, women and chil-
dren, murdered; prophets, patriarchs,
apostles and revelators martyred.
The Saints could scarcely find . a
resting place for the soles of their
feet, after all the preparation that
was made by the establishment of a
great and free government. No won-
der, then, that the Lord did not be-
gin it two or three centuries ago ; no
wonder that he did not begin it in
the days when Catholicism and the
Greek church had universal sway
over the eastern continent. The
Church of the living God, if it had
been established then, would have
been immediately rooted out from
the earth; and great would have been
the condemnation resting upon the
nations if such had been the case. But
now it lives. Circumstances have
changed; and though the sajints have
been driven from their homes, and
from their farms, though they have
been persecuted, and the lives of
many of the Saints destroyed, and
their prophets put to death, yet,
notwithstanding all this the Lord
has preserved his Church, until
the present time. Fifty years
have rolled away, and upwards
since the Lord commenced thia
great work.
Kow, then, a few yrords on the
future. Years are to come, as Bro-
ther Angus Cannon said to me while
sitting upon the seat this morning.
He came to me, and I mentioned to
him that this last year was my
fiftieth in the Church-^in ot^er
words — that I had been in the
Church fifty years. A peculiar kind
of answer was made by Brothof
Cannon. Said he, " Brother Pratt,
I hope you may have millions of
days or anniversaries of your birth-
day." I thanked him very much.
Well, now, let me begin to speak up-
on this subject. God has promised
eternal life to his children. ** That
whosoever believeth in him should
not perish but have eternal life."
Now, I can see a consistency in the
good wishes of Brother Cannon,
upon this subject. I hope for eternal
lile, I have had this hope for the
last fifty years. If I obey the com-
mandments of heaven, if I receive
his sayings, and abide in his word, I
hope never to die, as it is promised
in the New Testament. But, says
one, did not Jesus die 1 and he kept
all of his Father's sayings. Did not
the apostles die? and they kept
the Father's words. And were not
all the ancient Saints subject to
death 1 And they kept the sayings
of the Lord. Yes, they suffered what
is termed the death of the body.
There is, however, quite a difference
between the death of the outward
tabernacle, and the death of the spirit.
In other words, the spirit that God
has placed within the tabernacle will
live forever, and those who have the
opportunity of dwelling in the next
world, in light, in glory and in a
fullness of happiness, get what is
termed eternal life ; there is no end
to it. Consequently it canno the ex-
pressed fully in the language of
31?.-
jo^p^ AL oi:]>^99]D3^3j|;^,
birotber QiuEu^^a that millions ot such
anniversaries might be enjoyed* But
there is^om^thing still greater in the
expression «! etenial Jife^ , than that
of a few .{{lilUoQs of years. It is spme^
thing that h^ no end. . It may have
a beginning. ; . A person may begin
to exisitin thi& fleshly tabemade as
I ^omxa&Bi^ my existence here on
this f^arth sixty-nine years ago. to day.
That was the; beginning of my exist-
ence here in this world ; but there is
such a thing as a person having a
beginning to his existence in the
flesh, and yet have no end. Those
persons that were translated in the
twinkling, of an eye in ancient days
did not have a separation of body
and spirit. They were changed ;
they were, by the power of Almigh-
ty God, wrought upon, instantane-
ously; they were changed from mor-
tality to immortality; but stiU retain
their flesh and bones. Now, I would
ask, is there any end to their im-
mortal tabernacles when thus
changed ? There is a beginning but
no end,. Their spirits are combined
with their bodies forever, I have
this hopa You Latter-day Saints
have the same hope, so far as eternal
life is concerned. You expect it,
you pray for it, you desire to have a
life that is endless; figures are unable
to exprQ§s the endless duration of
ages that ai*e to come. Eternal life
is said to be ;the greatest gift of God
unto the human family. There are
greatest of al|. In the first place,
God has given his Son to die for the
human family. What a great gift !
If it had not been for this gift of our
Heavenly Father < to the inhabitants
of our fallen world, the consequence
would have been that we should
have had eternal death. What are we
to understand by the . term eternal
death, supposing that tl>ere had been
no atonement made ? Wliat is the
meaning, Q^^,^^^.t§jT3H 1 ,^G;g^d^jrp|^.
multidy ngurei enc^^b .if y?qu ^Tj^ere
to tal^e the figures that are rip,w j|i
use and' exte^i^ th^m.in a^iu^'-THE^-
tend . them Un a J sieries so that , ^lie ' .
figures themselyes' would be J^ni^-\
merous as' the particles. of the. globe,
—would that exuress.eierrial^life"^ or
would it expresfik the duration qf
eternal deaths ^provided, tljere liad,..
been, no atonement 1 If 6 ; it cann9fc.
be .expressed. ^ Hence the atoriepient'
of our Sayior, ^hich is the. gift of
God , to the fallen inhabitants of this /
creation, lies^t the foundation gf all ^
the other gifts given unto, the chil-
dren of men, It is because?, of this,,
gift that we are. permitted V> repent •
of our sins. How could there' have
be6n, an ib dividual iipon all 'the.irace
of the globe who coiiJdhav^' reperilj-.
ed, provided there had . been ' jxo
atonement] Hence you s^.'thq,t!
repentance is the gift of Goji3, 'pur-
chased ,by the atonepaent. ..; Again, .
could baptism have been a hojj ordi-
nance if it had no saying power Iii. it f
Could it have been for the remission
of sins, had it not been for the'JBlood
of the atonement 1 No. Baptism,
then, is a gift to the children, of men
as well as repentance. iiVcmltl the
laying on of . hands have had, any,
effect upon any person of the hinjian •
family, in bestowing the gift of 'the.
Holy Ghost had there been no g,tone-
ment | . No. Tlien that is also a gift ,
— the gift of God to man, that his :
many gifts of God, but this is the servants should lay their hands upon
baptized believers, and that ,. they
should be baptize d. with, the ■ Holy .
Ghost and with fire. Coiilll w,e1iiave.
been permitted to partake, of the.
Lord's Supper with any effect what-
ever*? No, Then i^ is also a'gift of
God. unto man. And thus we xnJay.
go through all the ordinances, that
God ordained from before ' the foun-
dation of the world unto the'^resent;'
time,, and all of them can be called
J t'j
•-i'/i'
mm>w^^^:F'^'
31S
djtiojis. The ^.tenement caiiie with-
out any conditipn on tnepart of man.
It w^ without'.' repeiitance, without
faith on thie part.of man. Theatoiie-
mejit was soinewiing given through
the pure love of God to fallen man,
without any acts of g;ood works on
the part qf inan. There are some of
the blessings, then, that' God has
ordained for the fallen inhabit-
ants of our globe which come inde-
pendent of our works, and this is one
of which I have been speaking.
Would there have been any light or
intelligence, or goodness or happi-
ness, to be partaken of 1?y fallen
man, if it had not been for the atone-
ment ] None at all; there could have
been no righteousness. * But then,
alj the other gifts that we receive
are through works, and by faith and
works combined, and it i^ because of
the distinction between these two
separate gifts that many of the
inhabitants of the earth have erred.
Some of them profess to believe that
they can obtain all the gifts of God
without works, because of some of
the sayings of the ancient apostles ;
while others consider that work must
be combined with faith. Now fcoth
01 these ideas are true when taken
in their true light. Eternal life is
ainong a}l those gifts that are prom-
ised of God ; such as the gift of re-
pentance, baptism, laying on of"
hands, ^^tc. All these are not to be
compared, with the greatness of the
^t called eternal life. I hope that
all the Latter-day Saints under the
sound of my voice may aittain to
this, the greatest of all the gifts of
G'od.: . .
Now, I wish, before taking "my
seat to bear my testimony before" the
people here asseembled. I do know
by the power of God, by the shed-
ding forth of the Holy Ghost upon
•' /-•■•.«. .. i7 > ,. i * ' ." . • - ; s, ■••*'*
-I my heart, by the jr«velatioij8 of tha
'*' spirit,' by the' many ihanffestaltions 6f
the goodness (rf G6d tp iie, I do know
that God has sent his angel froifi
heaven. lVd6' know tjiat he has
raised up the great latter-day Idng-
dofd predicted by Daniell 1 do know
that ne has called apostles and pro-
phets; that he has sent forth his ser-
vants divinely commissioned, with
power from on high, to declare to the
nations of the earth the greait and
last message of mercy unto the in-
habitants thereof, to prepare all those
that' are willing to be prepared, for
the great day when the heavens
shall be opened, and all the heavenly
hosts shall descend with power and
with great glory, to reign here on the
earth. I do know that God by his
power has gathered together his peo-
ple from the various nations of the
earth, and established them here ill
these mountains for a little season,
for an especial purpose. And what
is that purpose 1 To prepare you
while dwelling here in these moun-
tains, territories and regions, that
you ' may receive tho blessings or-
dained for you in a future time, which
time is not far distant. I do know
that this people will returh and will"
possess the land that God has
promised to thetn, even in Missouri,
and in Kansas, and in the regions
round about. I do know that God'
will build up in Jackson ' County,
Missouri, a great, and wonderful, and
beautiful city, that shall be called
"the Perfection of Beauty," the NeV
Jerusalem. I do know that God will"
light up the liabitations of that city
by his power, by his glory, by a clou'd
in the day time, iand by a pillar of
fire in the night. I do know that
when the people shall gather together
in their religious assemblies, as yoU
are here gathered this afternoon,'
that God will light up your assem-'
bUes, by his divine power even in
314
J0X7BKAL or DI8C0UBSES.
the night time, making your haHtar
tionSy where yon meet, glorious in
' the extreme I do know that God
will fulfil all that which he has
spoken, by the months of Us holy
prophets, since the world hegan^
pertaining to this last dispensation
of the fulness of times, which will
come to pass in their times, and in
their seasons, and that this dispen-
sation will be far more glorious, than
all the other dispensations combined
together, before eveiything shall be
completed, for the bursting heavens
to reveal the Son of God, and all
those that are with him. These
things, and scores of other things
that I might name, I know will be
fulfilled in their times and in their
seasons, and that all who are faithful
will be made partakers of these
blessings. Amen.
REMARKS BY
ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF.
It is not my purpose at all to de-
tain this congr^ation, but before
dismissing I feel that I would like to
say a few words. We are not in the
habit of flattering any man, bnt I
want to say a few words concerning
Brother Pratt. If there is any man
dead or alive who has dwelt longer
in this church and kingdom than he
has I do not know him. If there is
any man that has travelled mure
miles in preaching the Gospel of
Christ, in bearing testimony of the
kingdom of (rod on the earth, I do
not know who he is. When Brother
Pratt embraced this Gospel he was a
boy — ^in one sense of the word illiter-
ate and unlearned, the same as
Joseph Smith and the most of us.
Whatever knowledge Brother Pratt
has obtained^ either of the learning
of the world or -of the kingdom of
Qod, he has obtained it by diligence
and labor since he embraced this I
GrospeL I have been associated with
Brother Pratt myself for 47 years.
I have travelled with him by sea and
by land, in foreign countries and at
home, and I never saw a man in my
life that I know of that has spent as
few moments idly as he has. I have
never seen a storm at sea so heavy
— even when shipping seas over the
bow, side and stem — ^but what he
would* read his book. Whenever
the breakers became too heavy he
would simply shut up the book until
they were over. If there is a man
on this continent who is more at
home in the starry heavens, in the
astronomical world than Brother
Pratt I do not know who he is.
If there is a man more deep-
ly versed in mathematics than
Brother Pratt, I do not know who he
is. There may be many men equal
to him in these things, but if there
are, I do not know them. How has
he obtained his knowledge? He
has obtained it since he embraced
this work. He has improved his
time. Brother Pratt is the only
living man to-day that was in the
first quorum of the Twelve in its
first organization, and I am pleased
to listen to his testimony of the Gos-
pel of Christ ; for I want to say to
Brother Pratt and to all other men
we all have to acknowledge this ;
Joseph Smith, Brigham Young; the
Apostles, and all men in this
Church and kingdom, if there is
anything to us, if there is anything
about us, if we have any knowledge,
or any power, or any influence, we
have to give God the honor of it. It
is not of ourselves. Joseph Smith
always acknowledged this, as have
all men in this Church and King-
dom. We havefbeen called from the
plow, from the plane, from the ham-
mer — ^i^orant, illiterate boys, and
thrust mto the vine3'ard; and aU
the power we have, or ever had, in
A DOVBLE BIRTHDilTy EXa
315
building up the Kingdom, we have
to ackuoMdedge it as coming from
the hand of Qod. Brother Pratt
was one of the earliest men who
shouldered his knapsack and traveled
through the American continent to
preach the Grospel of Jesus Christ to
this nation. Frequently he would
suffer from ague all day and go along
and preach his sermon at night.
These are experiences that he and
others have passed through in the
early rise of this Church, and I feel
to thank God that we can still hear
his voice and the voice of others
who have been long in this Church
and Kingdom. I hope the Lord
will preserve his life until he is
satisfied with it He has lifted up
his voice long and loud, according to
the commandment of God to him,
in bearing record of this Gospel and
kingdom to the nations of the earth.
I was struck, in contemplating our
own experience, with some of the
remarks he has made to-day with
regard to the Apostle Philip — how
our own experience has agreed with
that of the ancient apostle. How
many times have we been called by
revelation to go to the right and
left, here, there and the other place,
contrary to our expectation ?
I will here relate what took place in
my own experience. I was in
Staibrdshire in the year 1840. I
was in the town of Stanley and held
a meeting in the City Hall. I had
a week's appointments out in that
town. Bef<Nre I rose to speak to
the people, the Spirit of the Lord
said to ine, '' this is the last meeting
you will hold with this people foe
inany days." I .told the congrega-
tion when I arose what the
Spirit of the Lord had mani-
fested t« me. . They were a&
much surprised as I was. I did not
know what the Lord wanted, but I
saw the purpose of God afterwards.
The Spirit of the Lord said to me^
"Go south." I traveled eighty
miles ; went into the south of Eng-
land. As soon as I arrived, I met
John Benbow. It was clearly made
manifest to me why I had been
called thither. I had left a good
field, where I was baptizing every
night in the week. When I got to
this place, I found a people — some
600 of them — ^who had broken off
from the Wesleyan Methodists and
formed themselves into a sect called
the United Brethren. I found that
they were praying for light and
truth and that they had gone about
as far as they could go. I saw that
the Lord had sent me to them. I
went to work amongst them and
ultimately baptized their superinten-
dent, forty preachers and some 600
members ; I baptized every member
of that denomination, but one.
Altogether some 1800 were baptized
in that field of labor. I suppose
some of those then baptized may be
in this copgregation to-day. I name
these things to show how we have
to be governed and controlled by the
revelations of God day by day.
Without this we can do nothing.
Many of oui: brethren who were with
us at that time and wlio came to
this valley, have passed behind the
vail. . Eight of the quorum of the
Twelve who were in the flesh and
most of them with the pioneer^, to-
day are in the spirit world. We are
passing away.
I know as Brother Pratt has said^
that this is the kingdom of God.
Israel is being gathered together.
The revelations of God are being
fulfilled, and nothing will be lef|
unfulfilled. Therefore, as Saints of
the living God, let us be faithful to
our testimony. We have the king-
dom, of God. We are called of God
by inspiration and coinmandment to
warn this generation, to preach the
JOURNAL OK DISCOURSKS.
oh the great "vvdrk' which is laid iiipon
« y
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1-.
DISCOTJESE BY ELDER ^VILFOED WOOimUF^v ■}
Delivered at the General CoNi-EREKCE, Salt LAxif Grty,' S^ifDA*
Afternoon, Oct. 10th, 1880. ' -• , vf- -*'^ -
(2Bep0?f e(f by Geo. F. Gibhs.)
■•t .,> ■ 'j^
•*»:>:' <fv;
' <
ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRES-IDENCY. — Ha5&PON»IBIU3Fr''OI' *HR
SAINTS, ^TG.
»)
There are many times when I
feel a great desire to speak to the
people because I have things in my
heart that I would like to say. I
cannot say at the present time how-
ever, tha;t I ha,ve any great desire*to
speak, still I will hear my testittwrny
and express a few thoughts in my
reflections that arie upon ia6 to-day.
I am happy arid greatly pleased
in what I have withessed, and I feel
that the heavens are- pleased with
.6ur proceedings this day. I f^el
that they are right. ^The kingdom
of God is onward;' it is not' back-
ward. It is 'wisdoin that we per^
form what we have done to-day. •
' Tke act of orgaiiizing the <iottiicil
r* .c.!>^<v- • '
of the first president, of the ^tiidh
and kingdom^of Gipd^ I have regard-
ed as a most solemn scenes to: see
this mighty host «f priosthood^'/w^o
are asseniblBd ^n tMs kous!9;>oib^ia
such unanimity, 'and to^see'jthiB^^as^
congregatibai , rise la -a •ip.dy mtii-
u^ifted l&nds to hea^^n^ it^jeJike^
the rushing of many wafieil^— tiateie
is powor in it J tb^r^^i^ p©ii?OTi.(with
this people • there is power with, thft
priesthood and in the orG^naiuies o|
the house of God. • And what we
have dbne'to ds^ will liave it» efleot^
it wiM hive its effbct inthe lieavend
and on the earth. The responsibiI«
ity tha/t -we beaar aa^ bM^i^ of- Israel,
before tibe heftV^a;a»d before.' the
' '•>> ■/
kS*
; >.'■
<■ •■'
.JtvT'
'M
ORGANIZATION, ETC.
31T
/ • /•• v
r iftwtk wi<l*bef<^ft #ach. o^k&f, is very
i.^p^^n N-^f^e $^ crii^d <rf GfO(i ; we
s ;5av^ ;^hft«ii ; jQkos^ft,; yre , have . been
.:.^ftin^.r*fif IFie^ n^ho :hav^ been
>i^58dki,itft Iwwtte and to
attend to the ordinances.pf the house.
r'^iGoij.^ta>py§ao|u-thje €rx>spel, to
r ^liffii.~.tSiji4,g0i)^j^ti9n, \o build up
ZIqi), to T^deeia the eaxth, to erect
, teznpli^, tinto; the name of the Most
. High Gro.d, .^0 redeem the living and
• the.:dead,.^ud to carry out those
.great purposes whica have been
foreordained before . the world. \f as.
It is. a great calling it is a great
. resp9n«ibility : and I feel that we,
.ass^rvanLtsofGr^d a^d as elders of
. Jisrael,' >^at. m^ should try in our
.miiids io. comprehend these. things.
V ..Ii?eftQcta good^ deal with regard
ip oar ppsitii^i, ias va^.descri^ to
ud tpHls^ by Brother Fratt. Xt has
.bo^.Hiyiaith and. belief frona the
44;^€|i,#Li«,^ i mt^. made ^acquainted
wit^ thftfQaepelvthat no greater pro-
..p];i,e|t/ tlis^AvlTQsephy.Sinith ever lived
i m ibe/a^ of tbeixC^th save Jesus
Qhjpstv $L^yr^xBi^ ijip to stand
*t. tb^ ^wid of thid gi;e^t dispenssr
Uonr^ri^e >gr^t^st of all dispensa-
ti(^ • Qfl4 ha» i 0vex: .given to man.
^ He r^ioarkpd on several, occasions
> wJbwconyersing with: his brethre^i :
V "ibiathrei^ ypu 4o' W<i know me,
%y^u,4o. 7i(^ J^yr Vfha t am." As I
r.o^€»x^k#d. ji4^v mating
. fon JFriiay . ftvemng> I: have hqard
•,to» m W owly V days while? con-
t^wing :witb>the bretlju^ep, s^y, (at
the Jaw^. th)i{»e,f«n^mg hjunself ^ uppn
jfti«..br^t) Mjt woiwJ ta.€rpd that I
• 4JpiridvUi)bQQom my feelings : ip the,
;.lmf^.Qf my fii^pds-" ..^ Jo9<^ph Smith
; ^s*&:iiCH^ain^ cb^re :b^ ca^ie Jiere,
; the , Jiai^tiW;; Jer^miali w]^ , Said
riba-zL^rd' J^itow^ '-?«|prei. you
> tw^e J^g<rt^.I ki^w^^y^^^ :
v¥-rSji» 4«, J'{bejyi^© \fith regard to
"''^'<^f!®l^.v^Pi#^ JilbfiUwe with
regard "^to the apostles, the high
1..
mriesti^ seventies and. the elders of
Israel bearing the holy priesthood,^ I
believe they we^re ordained before
they came here j and I believe the
God of Israel has raised them up,
and has watched over them from
their youth, and has Qarrii^d the^
through, all the scenes of life both
seen and unseei), and has pre-
pared them as instruments in his
nauds to take this kingdom and
be^r it off. If this be sp, what
manner of men ought we to be t If
anything under the heavens should
humble m^ before the Lord aijid
before one another, it should be the
fact that we have been called of
God.
I believe the eyes of the heavenly
hosts are over this people ; I beUeve
they are watching the elders . of
Israel, the prophets andapostles and
men who are called to bear off this
kingdom. I believe they watch
over us all with great interest.
I will here make a remark con-
cerning my own feeUngs. After the-
death of Joseph Smith. I saw and
conversed with him many times in
my dreams in the night season.
I On one.occafiiqn he and his brojl^er
flyrum met ine when on the sea go-
ing on a mission to England. I had
Dan Jones with me. He received
his miBsion from Joseph Smith J{>e-
fore his death ; and the prophjdt
talked freely to ^le about the mis-
sion I was then going to perfpirpu
And. he also tatted to me vd^h
^j?egard,to the mission of theTw^i^e
Apostles in the flesh, i^djie laidbefore
n^thework tjiey M to jeifoim;aud
be also spoke of the reward they
would receive after death. And
there were many, other things. Jio
- lakl beibn nw ia Us intenaelrpn
tMi occasion. And wh^. X 9,^9^0
many qf the things he had told 9ie
wra takei JTrom^ me,, I ^ould not
comprehehd them. I have had^
318
J0T7RNAL OF DISC0UBSE8.
j:
many interviews with Brother
Joseph until the last 15 or 20 years
of my life ; I have not seen him for
that length of time. But during my
travels in the southern country last
winter I had many interviews with
President Young, and with Heber
G. Kimball, and Geo. A. Smith, and
Jedediah M. Grant, and many
others who are dead. They attended
our conference, they attended our
meetings. And on one occasion, I
saw Brother Brigham and Brother
Heber ride in carriage ahead of the
carriage in which I rode when I was
on my way to attend conference ;
and they were dressed in £he most
priestly robes. When we arrived at
our destination I asked Prest. Young
if he would preach to us. He said,
*' No, I have finished my testiniony
in the flesh I shall not talk to this
people any more. But (said he)* I
have come to see you ; I have come
to watch over you, and to see what
the people are doing. Then (said
he) I want you to teach the people
— ^and I want you to follow this coun-
sel yourself — that they must labor
iand so Uve as to obtain the Holy
Spirit, for without this y«u cannot
build up the kingdom; withoilt the
spirit of God you are in danger of
walking in the dark, and in danger-
of failing to accomplish your calling
'^ apostles and as elders in the
ibhurch and kingdom of God. And,
said he. Brother Joseph taught
me this principle." And I win
here say, I have heard him refer
to that while he was Kving. But
what I was going to say in this : the
thought came to me that Brother
Joseph had left the work of Wa4;ch-
ing •ver this church' and kingdom to
otibers, and thit he had gone afaes^,
^d that he had left this work to
men who have lived and labored
with us since he left us. This idea
tiumifested itself to me, that such |
men advance in the spirit world.
And I believe myself that these men
who have died and gone into the
spirit world had this mission left
with them, that is, a certaiil portion
of them, to watch over the Latter-
day Saints.
I feel myself as though we are
blessed of the Lord, and that we
ought to be satisfied. I feel that we
should humble ourselves before God,
that we should labot to magnify our
callings, and honor this priesthood
which we received before we came
here while we liVe out the few days
appointed to man in the fle^h. And
I do hope and pray God that we miay
magnify our pri«?sthood and calliiig
whfle we tany heffe^, so that wh^n
we get through our Earthly mission
and go into the spiritTirorld, we may
meet with Brothers Joseph and
Brigham and Heber and the rest of
the faithful men whom we knew
and labored with while in the iiesh,
as well as Faith'er Adam, Enoch,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all
the prophets and' apostles wlio have
had their day and thdir l^me atid
their generation, and wh« haVe fin-
ished their Vork hei^ below and
gone home -to gl6ry. D^ydu not
think they are int^tested about tlsf
I tell you they are; And I dosire
when J die, and thy spirit goes into
the spirit wo!dd, to ttieet thes^m^n
and to go where they are ; and I wish
to live m that yrAy iatid mitntoer to
as' to be worthy of this blessing.
And when I say this of myself I
wish it to apply to all Israel. It
will not pay us apostatize ; nieSther
ynSL it pay U9 to sin, it costs ten
thousand titnesmore than it is >voTth
from begihniog to end. Therefore,
let us be true and fatttiful to God.
And inasmuch as vte have voted to-
day to Bus^un the presidency of this
church land kingdom, let dur prayers
ascend night tod 'inornihg into the
HZAYXN AKD EABTH TO PASS AWAT, ETC.
319
€ar8 of the Lord of Saba4>th, in behalf
of the men who now atand at our
head, and also in behalf of the apos-
tles and in behalf of all the priesthood
of God in their place and station.
And inasmuch as we do this we will
S'ow, we will advance, the Spirit of
od will be poured out upon us
which will reveal unto us the mind
and the will of God concerning us.
And Zion will continue to increase
in power ou the earth, and eventually
accomplish all for which it is de-
signed, which is my prayer in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
I
Delivered m the Tabernacle, Salt La:kb City, stmnAY hobnino^
AuousT 1st, 188a
»i III I ■
(Exported by John Irvine. J < ,
INTRODUGTOHY REMARKS— HEAVEN AND EARTH TO PASS AWAV*— NOT
annihilated— HEAVEN AND tARTH NOT CREATED PKOM . NOTHmG —
MATERIALS £T&»NAL — ^MATERIALS UNDER THE DOBONION OF LAWSr—
CENTRAL AND ORBITAt« FORCE&-M^MPOUND AND ELEMENTARY- 'SUB-
STANCES — DEARTH IN THE BEGINNINOr--N0 MORTALITY, THEN KSOV/^f
ON THIS CREATION— THE TALL— TH» earth's BAFHSH IN WAXBRt—
ITS BAPTISM IN TIRE — ITS BAPTISM BY THE SPIRIT--^ITS JUSTIFIQA-
TIOl^ — ^ItS SANCTIFICATION-*HnrS PURDTIOATION — ^ITS THOUS^LND Y&ABS'
' REST, ETC.
I will call the attention of the
eongregation '• to a few passages of
'^riptm'e, which- will be foond in
the 20th and 2Ist chapters of the
Bevelatioiis; given to St. John. In
ihe 20th cha|>ter we find these
irprds:^
^'And I saw a great white throiiey
and him that sat ou it, from whose
face, iihe , earth i and heav^i fled
away : and there was found no place
forthem.
^'Aaid I saw the dead, small and
greatc>8toud befca» Ood; and the
294
JOURNAL OF DISCOIJRSKS.
books yvere opened: aiid another
book was opened, which is the book
of life : and the dead were judged
out of those things which were writ-
ten in the hooks, according to their
works.
"And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it ; and death and
hell dehvered up the dead which
were in them : and they were judged
every man according to their works.
"And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, and whomsoever was
not found written in the book of life
were cast into the lake of fire."
In the 21st chapter, commencing
with the 1st verse, we read these
words : —
"And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth : for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away;
and there was no more sea.
"And I John saw the . holy city.
New Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared a,s a
bride adorned for her husband. . ,
"And I heard a great voice out -of
heaven saying. Behold the taber-
nacle of God is with men, and ho will
dwell with them, and they shatt be
bis people, and God himself shall be
with them, and be theii' God.
"And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes ; and there
»hall be no more death, neither
4;onrow, not crying, neither .shall
there be any more pain: for the:
former things are passed away.
"And he that sat upon the throne
Sidd, Behold I m^e ail thiu^ new.
And he said unto me^ Wiite : for
tbese woids are true and faithfdL
"And he said unto me^ It:is dona
I am Alpha and Omega, .thebe^-
idng and the end. Twill jgKV'e unto
him that is athizst of the fount»iiof
the water of life freely.
" He' that overcometh shall inhejrit
all things ; and I will, be his 66^,
and he shall be my soni"
It is a grekt and important undet-
taking to rise up before a* congrega-
tion of the children of in'en, and
endeavor to declare the words of
eternal life to them. No man Kving
can do this acceptably in the sight
of God, unless God is with him, hy
the power of his spirit and by the
inspiration thereof I often feel my
own weakness and imperfection as
a man, when endeavoring to do a
work of this nature. I oftentimes
feel to ask myself the question —
what am I, and how can I perform
the work which the Lord requires at
my hand, unless he assists me?
Sometimes I almost feel to shrink ;
but then I know, from past experi-
ence, that God has assisted me, and
I have every reason to believe that
he will continue so to do, inasmuch
as I am humble apd^ei^^ercise faith in
him, and strive to do his wilL
TChese words written ia the 20th
and 21st, chapters of theiRevelations,
given to St. John on the Isle of Pat-
moa, occurred to my mind, a few
moments before I rose to my feet;
for itd« the practice of most of the
eldecsvctf this chureji# to ta^e no
thought before haad, what they shall
say, and it is very, ^dopi that, the
officers of the church endeavor to
plan out ia their. o\f p . mindfif >any
particular fcorm , -ofv 4ia?ourae, rbut
sometiroos. the sgHt.9f tiie./JiOrd.
may suggest certain^ ' P^,^^4g^ ^^
scripture, and then that same spirit
inay«<Kc*at<e«uad. direct, infijQgairi *^;
. the Sevax ol words rthat duftU ,be.iwfi
itiidd&ieatingithe ideas cqntai^edifa
.th^»ete35t&; :; -^Mi :v;i. ;;■:.:., 5.;!'
• We.iwe told in jsSa^ T^oxd^^m^ I
baye 1^, Hkfkt ^jp.,}§ ^.^P^wjf
time yet in the future, idief e^^»tfP«
earth upon which we stan^, wnert
HXAVXN AND EARTH TO PASS AWAT, STC.
331
we have our being, and from which
we derive our sustenance; will pass
away; and the heavens that are over
our heads will also pass away; at
the time this great event ^haU hap-
pen, we are informed that a great
white throne shall appear; that a
certain personage will sit thereon,
and that so great will be his glory,
and 80 great the power attending
him, that the earth itself will flee
away from before his presence, and
the heavens, the literal heavens
that are over our heads — ^probably
meaning the heavens that pertain to
this creation-wiU pass away j the
atmosphere and those things included
in the atmosphere; and the earth
itself, the solid portions thereof, and
the liquid portions, will all pass away,
before the face of him that sits upon
this thi'one. This is believed not
only by the Latter-day Saints, but
by all Christian denominations, with
very few exceptions. They believe
that the heaven and the earth will,
at some future period have a great
change wrought upon them. They
expect that they will pass away but
I believe that most of them consider
that the earth will become annihil-
ated; that the very materials of
which it is composed will be reduced
to nothing. I think that used to be,
when I was a boy^ a te^et of the sec-
tarian world; it used to be their idea»
that the earth wa3, in the beginning,
made out of nothing by the word of
God, and that it would be reduced to
nothing when it passed away.
But I have not, time to dwell upon
the idea of the Christian w(N:ld, and
their views, concerning this matter;
I shall touch upon those thin^ ac-
cording to the idea3 and the faith of
the people called. liatter-day Saints.
We do not believie j^at the earth
was 2nade, oiQjb of nothing like the
mo^firn Christian id^a ; . we l^aye no
such belief; for we do not fibiid any
No. 21.
such declaration contained any-
where in the scripture. We do not
take it for granted, beicause they
have incorporated these things in
their modern theology, in their doc-
trines, in their disciplines, in their
church articles, in their creeds — ^we
do not receive it on this testimony ;
but we search to see what tho
scriptures of truth have said upon
this subject; and when we have
searched them, we find there is no
indications whatever, that the earth
was made out of nothing, or that
it sprang into existence, where there
was nothing on which to work.
We read in the first chapter of
Genesis that God created the heaven
and the earth, and the earth was
without form and void, but there is
nothing in this passage that informs
us that he made the earth out of
nothing. Our view is that the ele-
ments out of which this and all
other worlds were made existed from
all eternity; they never had any
beginning. There are a few indi-
viduals on the earth that make no
profession of religion — some cajl
them materialists — who believe this
same principle ; and in doing 8o,.thQ7
have got one truth incorporated
among their ideas, though they do
not believe in God. The materials
of this creation, according tp our
view, and that which God has re-
vealed to us, in this l^st dispensation,
have existed from all eternity.
These materials have been, from 9)1
eternity, subject to the comniand of
the ^eat Jehovah; they are un,d^
his jurisdiction ; he hais .power io
control them; he gave themi^ws^;
they apt according to these .lavfs;
and they have been gqve^ed by
laws, so far as we have any knoit«
ledge, and so far as. our creatic^ is
concerned, < for indefinat^ agps pai^j
and we have ev«cy reaaqn^to beli^Y^
that they have been under thd
Vol XXI.
322
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
dominion of law, so long as there
lias been a Supreme Being. And
yod might ask how long is that?
. We answer, that he is co-eternal in
his existence, with the materials of
creation; — one existed as long as
the other ; and neither of them had
any beginning/ There may have
heen an endless cycle of organizations
and disorganizations among the
materials of nature, governed for a
certain period of time, for a wise
purpose, according to wise and just
and holy laws, adapted to their con-
dition, and to bring about the great
purposes of the great Jehovah. We
find that everything, at present, so
far as we have any knowledge and
* understanding to discern the work-
ings of nature, seems to be under
the dominion of law. The. earth
rolls in its destined orbit according
- to laws. The force by which it is
^ supposed to have been projected, is
- according to a certain law. The
great central force by which it is
governed, or to use a modern word
* ** attracted," is according to a certain
* law. The projectile force, so called,
' is adapted to the central force ; and
it has rolled in its destined path,
eveT since its present organization,
or for some 6000 years, and how
* much longer it has rolled in that
* path or orbit, we do not know. It
* had a beginning in its present organ-
-ization, as Moses clearly gives us an
* idea. But in organizing this world
* the Lord did not call it into exist
lence from nothing, but called the
eternal elements that were spread
'^abroad in space and commanded
^hem U> come together, according to
certain laws ; and the earth was
formed and placed in its proper
position, in the mid^t of many other
creations which roll around the
great central orb,— the sun. It was
no small work ; it required the
^wer of an Almighty Creator to
organize a world like this, to adapt
it, in its organization, to the princi-
ple of life, which, more or less, per-
vades all of its materials, causiiig
them to fulfil various laws, ordained
in relation to their action, obeying
what are called chemical laws, in
forming the numerous compounds of
which our earth is composed The
solid portions, the liquid portions,
and the serial positions, were all
formed chemically by the power of
the Almighty, — I mean th^r com-
pounds which constitute those por-
tions, — and when we come to reduce
these compounds to their elements,
we find upwards of sixty elementary
principles, from which, being joined
together according to chemical laws,
all the numerous compounds are
formed. Now, these laws in all
their operations, are laws given by
the Divine Being. He it is that
causes them to operate. Light,
heat, electricity, and every sub-
stance combined with the materials
of our globe, are all under the
dominion of numerous laws ; and the
results that are brought about, or
the good that is bestowed upon the
inhabitants of the earth, upon the
animal creation, ^ving them life,
happiness, and peace — have all been
brought about by the wise ordina-
tion of these laws, exhibited through
all the elements of this creation. I
say it required an Almighty power
to so wisely organize these elements;
and when they were organized it
required great wisdom and judgment
to produce the orbital motion of the
earth. The ascertsdned velocity that
the earth has in its orbit, as it flies
in its destined course around the
sun, is between eighteen and nineteen
miles per second. It not only re-
quires great power to orj;anize the
elements into a world, but it re-
quires infinite wisdom to organize
the elements into flesh as at present
HEAVEN ATP XAKTH TO PASS AyTAY, ETC.
923
in the animal ereation, including
man, to give life to the beings which
dwell in these tabernacles.
This world, howevor, is not now
SiS it was in the beginning, tHat is
when I speak of the beginning, I
have reference to the beginning of
the earth, in its present organiza-
tion ; I do not have reference to the
beginning of duration, for it had no
beginning ; 1 do not have reference
to the beginning of an endless past,
but I have reference to the beginning
. relative to our little globe. In the
. beginning of our creation, the earth
was very fair, quite different from
what it is now. There were no
children of mortality upon it, no
animals that were mortal upon it, no
birds, nothing wherein we observe
life in this creation existed in its
mortal state; but everything that
had life was immortal ; every bird,
.fish, fowl, insect, creeping thing,
cattle, and man — all were immortal.
The earth had no curse resting upon
it ; the eaj:th itself was immortal, and
would have continued in all its
.glory, as it issued from the hand of
the Creator to the present time,
without any curse, had it not been
for the transgression of our first
j)arents. That was the introduction
of mortality, of pain and sorrow,
'misery and wretchedness^ not only
upon man, but upon all creation that
. then existed ; everything was brought
under the dominiqn of the curse. The
xurse came upon man — that being
,who could stand in the presence of
God and converse with him face to
face — the seeds of mortality were
fiovm in his immortal body ; — &
change came and his whole system
was affected thereby. The seeds of
death were placed within the taber-
.nacle of nixan, within the tabernacle
.of the lipn, of the ox, and every beast
of the field, and every fish ot the sea,
;and every fowl of the air. A very
.great change then came over tnis
creatioA. First, it was spiritu^ in
all its blessings ;and fullness of life
and glory. Then it was xeduce,d to a
temporal condition, wherein misay
and wretchedness existed.
Another great change happened
nearly two thousand years after the
earth was made. It was baptized by
water. A great flow of water came,
the great deep was broken up, tht
winaows of heaven were opened from
on high, and the waters prevailied
upon the face of the earth, sweeping
away all wickedness and traQsgres-
sion — a similitude of baptism fo]? the
remission of sins. God requires the
children . of men to be baptized.
What fori For the remission x>f
sins. So he required pur globe to be
baptized by a. flow of waters, and all
of its sins were washed . away, not
one sin remaining. You were, bap-
tized. Latter-day Saints,, fpr the re-
mission, pf your sins, b^Ueying, in
the Lord Jesus Christ, repenting, of
your sin with all your heart, going
down and being .buried beneath the
liquid grave, you came forth as new
creatures. So says the New Testa-
ment ; you buried the old nian with
all of his wicked deeds, aiid car^e
forth out of the liquid element born,
anew. So the earth in a measuj^e
was renewed, not fully, ;^o more
then we are renewed fuUy by bap-
tism; we are not made immprtaJ^
when ■\^e come, out of the waters of
baptism ; we still retain the effects
of the fall, so far as mortality is con-
cerned. So does the earth;' the
earth retains the effects of sin aiid
trans^ession that came upon its
face, ^ut notwithstanding it retains
these effects so far as mortality is
concerned, yet it was cleansed in a
measure from this transgression. Bub
alas ! this earth has again become
corrupted. We are required, after
being baptized for the renqission of
our sins, to sin no more, to live holy
{ and perfect lives, so far as we possi-
t2i
70URNAL OF DISCOURSES.
bly can, and to keep the command-
ments of Grod in all things, and to
walk in nevmess of life, and this to
the end of our days. The earth has
not been pennitted to rest during
the period of four thousand years
and upwards since its baptism.
Wickedness again has accumulated
upon its face. The inhabitants of
' the earth have corrupted and defiled
the earth by their transgression. By
and by another great change will
come. As the earth was cleansed
from its transgression by baptism in
water, so it must again be cleansed,
before it is made immortal. It must
be cleansed by an element that is
stronger and more purifying than
that of water, namely, the element
of fire. Fire must prevail over all
the face of this earth. What fori
.For the purpose of cleansing the
earth from its transgressions, the
same as the Latter-day Saints ex-
' pect to be cleansed and purified more
fully than by baptism in water — by
' the baptism of fire and the Holy
Ghost. This is the promise to aU
that will repent of their sins and be
baptized for the remission of the
same, that they shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost, which is an-
other baptism, more effectual, more
' clean^g, more purifying in its na^
ture, sanctifying the inner man and
the outward man, and making him
a new creature. So this earth in
due time must be baptized with fire
•first, and then the Holy Ghost.
IKre will cleanse all the proud and
♦hey that do wickedly from its face—
lin persons that are corrupt, all sin-
tvl persons, all disobedient persons,
all who do not keep the command-
'mjents of God ; it will cleanse the
•arth by burning them as stubble,
fulfilling the words of the prophet
Jffialachi, in the last chapter, which
jreads thus : ** For, behold, the day
eometh that shall bum as an oven>
and all the proud, yea, and all that
do wickedly, shall be stubble : and
the day that cometh shall bum them
up, saith the Lord of hosts, that
it shall leave them neither root nor
branch."
It seems, then, that this earth has
to undergo a process very similar to
that of the redeemed man. It has
to obey all the great sacred ordinan-
ces of the Gospel, so far as its first
pimciples are concemed ; the earth
has to undergo a cleansing process,,
first by water, a similitude of water
baptism, and then by the Holy
Ghost, a similitude of baptism by
fire and the Holy Ghost which you
receive by the laying on of the hands
of those who have authority. Does
this make man immortal 1 No ; man
still retains his mortality, even after
he is baptized with fire and with the
Holy Ghost — his body is subject still
to death. It may be burned at the
stake; it may pass away as the earth
will pass away; not annihilated, fnot
one particle of our earthly taberna-
cles shall be struck out of existence;;
but the elements may be separated
asunder, they may mingle perhaps
with other elements — all this may
take place, even after we have been
sanctified and purified by the bap-
tism of fire and the Holy Ghosi
So with our earth, when it is re-
newed by the coming of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, when he*
shall descend, as Paul says, in flam«'
ing fire. What effect will that have 1'
It will have the effect that is spoken
of by Malachi, all the proud, includ-
ing every wicked man, every wicked
woman, will be swept away like
stubble before the devouring flame.
It will be thus when Jesus descends
in the clouds of glory. The de-
ments will be cleansed, the same as
you receive a cleansing by the Holy
Ghost. You are made new crca^
tures. So the earth will be inadi:
HXAYIN AKD SABTH TO PASS AWXT, ETC.
325
new, and great knowledge will be
imparted to the inhabitants thereof,
as predicted in the 11th chapter of
the prophecy of Isaiah. The know-
ledge of God will then cover the
earth as the waters cover the mighty
deep. There wiU be no place of ig-
norance, no place of darkness, no
place for those that will not serve
God. Why? Because Jesus, the Great
Creator, and also the Great Bedeem-
«r, will be himself on the earth, and
his holy angels will be on the earth,
and all the resurrected Saints that
have died in former dispensations
will all come forth, and they will be
on the earth. What a happy earth
this creation will be, when tins puri-
fying process shall come, and the
earth be filJed with the knowledge
of God as the waters cover the great
deep ! What a change ! Travel,
then, from one end of the earth to
another, you can find no 'wdcked man,
no drunken man, no man to blas-
pheme the name of the Great Crea-
tor, no one to lay hold on his neigh-
bor's goods, and steal them, no one
to commit whoredoms — for all who
commit whoredoms will be thrust
down to hell, saith the Lord God Al-
inighty, and all persons who commit
sin will be speedily visited by the
judgments of the Almighty I But,
inquires one, can they sin 1 Yes ;
their agency will still be left. We
Tead in the 65th chapter of Isaiah that
then "There will be no more thence
*n infant of days, nor an old man
that hath not filled his days ; for the
«hild shall die an hundred years old;
but the sinner being an hundred old
Bhall be accursed." Children will
grow up without sin unto salvation,
«8 a general thing, and in order to
Bhew how swift the judgments will
^me upon the people, after Jesus
comes and stands upon the Mount
of Olives, and all the Saints with
ton, we have only to refer to the i
last chapter of Zachariahi where it 1
is stated, ^' that every one that is
left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem, shall even go up
from year to year to worship th^
King, the Lord of Hosts, and to
keep the feast of tabernacles. And
it shall be that whoso wiU not come
up of all the families of the earth
unto Jerusalem to worship the King»
the Lord of Hosts, even unto them
shall be no rain." From this it ap-
pears that people who refuse to come
up to the land of Jerusalem, to wor-
ship God and to keep the feast of
tabernacles, are to be immediately
visited withfamime. They shall have
no rain, and that will stir them up,
during the Millennium, to repent of
their sins ; but if the Egyptians do
not come up from year to year to
Jerusalem, they shall be visited with
a great plague. What kind of a
pl^uel The plague will be so
severe in its operations, says the
prophet Zacharisdi, that " their flesh
shall consume away, while theystaiui
upon their fact, and their eyes shall
consume away in their holes^
and their tongue shall consume awaj
in their mouth." Thus you see tlu&
swift judgment will come upon tkme
that are rebellious, after Jestts
descends. This shows that moTtaHitf
still continues, that people av»
subject to plauges, subject to
pain, and subject to be affl]x>
ted with famine, for fiie
want of rain. But by and
by, when Jesus has been here in
person a thousand years, and all the
ancient Saints that have been resur-
rected, and the modern Saints also,
after they have lived upon the earth
for the space of a thousand years, it
seems that Satan is to be loosed out
of his prison, and permitted to go
forth and tempt. Whom shall ho
tempt t Those whom Jesus hai
brought from heaven) No, they,
are beyond temptation. Whom wiU
he tempt t Those that are yet mor-
^
226
JOURNAL OF DISOOUItSES.
tal — the innmneiable inhabitants of
the earth who have multiplied and
spread forth, and become almost
as nmnerons as the sands upon the
sea shore. He will tempt them. He
will go out into the four quarters of
the earth, and gather together all
that he can overcome, and bring
them up against the camp of the
Saints and the beloved city. He
thinks that he will fight and over-
come the camp of the Saints. They
will be camped beside the beloved
city; for all the Saints will then
be gathered, just the same as you
are now gathered from the four
quarters of the earth, to escape the
Yarious judgments that are coming,
and finally the judgment of fire. So
will the Saints be gathered together
to the new Jerusalem, and round
about old Jerusalem, and Satan
will gather up his hosts, that have
apostatize from the truth, and he
will marshal them round about the
dty, and fire will descend from God
out of heaven, and devour that por-
tion of the army of Satan that is
still mortal. The elements of their
bodies 'Will be separated ; they will
be consumed, the same as the wicked
will have been consumed over a thou-
sand years b^ore that, and this will
be -another great change. But the
earth is not yet immortal, not yet
in its glorified state, as it was before
man fell. Then, after Satan's army
is devoured, and after Satan is cast
into heH, and all over whom he has
power — ^theh aH the inhabitants of
tho earth will be judged ; this great
white throne that I have been read-
ing about, wiil appear; the great and
final judgment' Will come ; and when
thitf white throne appears, the earth
itsdf and'Hie literal, temporal hear
Tens thait are overhead will* flee
awi^, and there will be found no
plaM for'theml What does this
meiort •- Does it m^n tbat the ele-
ments themsdiv^ wffl be annihila>
tedt or is there no place for the
earth in its organized form ; for the
elements will pass away, be scattered
in space over millions and millions
of nules, just the same as our bodies
after we have been sanctified and
purified, may be burned as martyrs
at the stake and the elements of our
bodies passed into the atmosphere
and into the surrounding country.
So will the earth pass away in like
manner. But by and by the same
voice, the same power that calls
forth our bodies from the sleeping
tomb, that unites bone to its bone,
sinews and skin and muscles, and
the various compartments of the
system, that breathes the breath of
Hfe into them, that makes them
immortal, even so will the Lord
God, in due time, speak by bis power
and call the scattered elements of
this creation from their dispersion,
bring them together again, and
organize them into a new heaven
and a new earth. Will there be onfr
particle of the earth lost? No every
particle that now is combined
with the heaven and the earth will
still^exist Will it be modelled after
the present modell No. It may
have the same shape and form that
it now has, the same as our
bodies when they are brought forth
out of the grave will have a form
something s^ter the present form.
Every hair of the head will be re-
stored, every part will be restored
to its proper form, not after thfr
form of mortality, to sicken again,
to have pain and to die ; but though
the body is restored to the same
image, so far as the outlines are con-
cerned, yot it is immortal, no more-
subject to pain, or sorrow, but is
restored to perfect happiness and to
bodies that will. endure while eter-
nity endur^es. So it will be with th*
earth. A great many of our scien-
tifiic men consider that the earth ha&
I never had a beginning as an drgAQ*
HEAVEN AND EARTH TO PASS AWAY, ETC.
327
ized body, but they look back nuiny
millions and millions of years, when
they suppose that such and such an
event ^rought about such and such
a cause j and they say, (the infidel
portion of them) that the eaa*th will
Dever have an end. Well, now,
they are right so far as the materials
are concerned, but they are entirely
out of the way so far as the great
revolutions I have named are con-
cerned, and so far as the annihilation
of the earth is concerned. The
earth never will have an end, so far
as the materials are concerned. The
earth after it is made anew, resur-
rected from its old materials, will
continue forever, and will be the
abiding place of all the righteous,
throughout all the future ages of
eternity. Hence, we read that
John, after the earth fled away,
saw a new heaven and a new
earth ; but the new one was much
altered. There was no more sea.
There must be a great alteration
when the sea, the elements that
compose the water, the oxygen and
hydrogen, and the various elements
that enter into tht constitution of
sea water, shall be otherwise com-
bined. Will there be a new set of
geologist in those days, who will
figure as they do in our days, and
say such and such events exist, and
they must have existed from all
eternity, or they must have been
brought about by such and such
changes ; that is, will the geologists
be as limited in their views as the
present ones are 1 But the geologists
that shall live ten thousand years
hence, or even two thousand years
hence, when this great change shall
have c«me over the earth, will be
able te philosophize clearly; for they
will be full of knowledge, under-
standing and comprehension, and
they will be able to understand
something about the process of world-
»aking, creating worlds, the changes
that come upon worlds, and the final
change when worlds are made anew
and immortal, and their philosophy,
their ideas^ and their system of ge-
ology will be correct and can be de-
pended upon. Why ? Because they
were there ; they saw the changes,
they were present when the changes
were made, and they have not for-
gotten all these things, and they
will know them, and understand
them, after the final change comes.
There will, however, be a change
which some of the 'mortal inhab-
itants of this earth will forget.
Isaiah says, in the 65th chapter :
" For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth : and the former
shall not be remembered, nor come
into mind." Now, that has refer-
ence to the creation that will be re-
newed, at the beginning of the mil-
lennium. People mil not remem-
ber. Our children that will be born
during the millennium will not re-
member all the wickedness and cor-
ruption that existed in the days of
their fathers. It will not come into
their minds, unless* God puts it
there ; but when they become im-
mortal, after the thousand years
have ended, then I think they will
comprehend the process by which,
this world was made. But, inquires
one, how will they know it 1 They
will know it because they were all
present when it was made. You
understand it, Latter-day Saints ;
you and I were there when this
world was made. We have forgot-
ten it, but we wiU remember it when
we wake up in eternity, with all
the fulness of knowledge that will
be given after everything is made
anew. Well, inquires one, what
will be the occupation of this people,
after descending upon the new earth?
After Jesus has been on the earth a
thousand years, God himself is to
be on the new earth. What is he to
do ! He is to " wipe away all tears ;
328
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
and there shall be no more death,
ndther sorrow, nor crying, neither
ehill there be any more pain ; for
the former things are passed away."
We will be there if we are righteous
•nongh, if w6 keep the command-
ments of God. K we will endure to
the end, we will have an inheritance
in this world when it is resurrected
and made anew. Moreover, it says
there will be no more death. What!
a world without death? A world
thickly populated as this creation
will be 1 What a joyful creation !
The tree of life will be on the earth
n the midst of that city that will
descend on the earth, and whoever
eats of the fruit of that tree will
live forever, just the same as the
tree of life was placed upon the earth
before Adam transgressed. Any
one eating of the fruit of that tree
could not die, for the decree of the
Lord had gone forth, and his word
must be fulfilled.
There are some few things to
which I wish now especially to call
your attention, in relation to this
new earth of which I am speaking.
I said that the saints would receive
an inheritance upon it. I would ask
you, my brethren, upon what prin-
ciple they receive an inheritance
upon the new earth 1 It is by secur-
ing it through a promise here in this
life. If you can secure 40, or 80, or
160, or 640 acres of land by promise
here in this life — I do not mean the
promise of mortal men, I would not
give much for their promise concern-
ing any blessing after death comes ;
but if you can get a promise from
him who has a right to promise, (for
thd earth is the Lord's and the ful-
ness thereof.) that you shall inherit
the earth for an everlasting possess-
«ion, then it will be given to you.
Bttt^ says one, supposing I do not
get any promise 1 I do not know,
then, that you will have a claim on
a solitaiy foot of it Abraham got
the promise, not after he was dead,
but here in this life. The Lord, be-
cause of his faith, made him a pro-
mise, and told him to go out from
his own country to a land he had
never seen ; and after getting there,
the Lord said unto him, "Now,
Abraham, walk through this land in
the length and breadth of it ; to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed."
I'or how long 1 For an everlasting
possession. Abraham did not care
about having a deed for time only,
did not care about getting a few
acres just merely for a little while,
and then have it taken from hun,
and he have no claim upon it after-
wards. Did Abraham inherit it on
this earth? Did his seed, Isaac, or
his grandson, Jacob, to whom the
promises were confirmed and renew-
ed — did they get any of it while
they lived 1 No. The prophet Ste-
phen, who was murdered for the
Christian religion, has recorded in
the New Testament, speaking of this
promise made to Abraham, that the
Lord "gave him none inheritance
in it, no, not so much as to set his
foot on." What ! Stephen, are you
not mistaken? You lived several
thousand years after Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob were in their graves — do
you mean to say that the Lord did
not even give them as much as a
foot? What did he do for them,
Stephen 1 He made them a promise
that they should have it, and their
seed after them ; for an everlasting
inheritance. Oh, then, they are
still to have it, are they, for an ever-
lasting inheritance, by virtue of the
promise made in this mortal state f
Who are Abraham's seed? All that do
the works of Abraham — all that are
baptizedinto Christ. They are Abra-
ham's seed according to the promise.
What promise? The promise that
he and his seed should have the land
HEAVEN AND EARTH TO PASS AWAT, ETC.
329
of Palestine, east and north-east of
the Mediterranean Sea, for an ever-
lat^ng possession. Now all who
have received the same covenants,
obeyed the same Gospel, obeyed the
new and everlasting covenant, have
thfe promise in connection with
Abraham's seed.
Has the earth been parcelled out
to anybody else except Abraham and
his seed 1 Yes. The Lord brought
a nation to this great western hemi-
sphere, called Jaredites, from the
Tower of Babel. When He brought
them here they were a righteous
people, and he made promises to
them; and among the promises
given was the promise that this
great western hemisphere should be
given to them, and to those that
were worthy besides them, for an
everlasting possession. We Gentiles
have come here ; we have got upon
the land ot these Jaredites, and we
think we are very rich if we have
got 640 acres, or perhaps ten times
that amount of land. Says one
man, " I have got my deed from the
Land office ; I am the owner." But,
hold on ; there is the original owner ;
that you know nothing of, that came
herefrom the tower of Babel, that had
all this western hemisphere promised
to him and the righteous of his seed
for an everlasting possession. Wliat
will become of your 640 acres then 1
What will become of your farms
when these resurrected men shall
come forth and show their deeds.
Perhaps you may think they did not
keep any records in those day. But
let me tell you they had records of
deeds; and all these things are
spoken of and testified of in the
great books that are kept in
the eternal world, and it will be
found that they are the inheritors
before us, th^t is before the Gentiles
that came over here four hundred
years ago and upwards. But what
about the Nephites that came here
about six hundred years before
Christ. When they got here, the
first thing the Lord did was to con-
firm his promise unto them. He
told them it was their inheritance
for an everlasting possession. Hold
on, says one, that would take away
the right of the Jaredites. Oh, no.
The Lord, in making this promise,
did not do it according to the deed-
makers of this day; he did not follow
after the pattern of men. The rec-
ords that he makes on the books in
eternity are records made upon prin-
ciples in accordance with celestial
law, not in accordance with Gentile
laws, nor our notions of things. The
notion, or idea, that the Lord had
was that this continent. North and
South America, should be inhabited
by the righteous who will be resur-
rected from the dead, and who lived
here on this continent.
Latter-day Saints, do you not feel
a little concerned 1 Has any pro-
mise been made to you, or are you
left out while the Nephites and Ja-
redites gobble up all the land, and
leave you to go around the streets
begging 1 Hear what the Lord, our
God, had to say, through the Pro-
phet Joseph, concerning you, on the
2nd day of January, 183L I was
present when the Lord gave this
revelation, in the midst of a confe-
rence, to his servant Joseph. I will
repeat the words : "And I will hold
forth and deign to give unto you "
(speaking to the Latter-day Saints
assembled in conference, and to all
that should become Saints) "greater
riches, even a land of promise, a
land flowing with milk and honey,
upon which there shall be no curse
when the Lord cometh. And I will
give it unto you for the land of your
inheritance. And this shall be my
covenant with you, ye shall have it
for the land of your inheritance, and
i
330
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
for the inheritance of your children
forerer, while the earth shall stand,
and ye shall possess it again in eter-
nity, no more to pass away." The
same promise you see ; very different
from the promise of men ; you will
possess it again in eternity, no more
to pass away. He did not reveal to
us the central portion of our land
of promise on that conference day,
bat told us it should be revealed at
a future time. Hence, in that same
year he appointed his servant Joseph
and some twenty or thirty of the
elders to go from Kirtland. Ohio,
westward through the State of Ohio,
State of Indiana, State of Illinois,
State of Missouri, to the western
boundaries thereof There he pointed
out by revelation — which you will
find recorded in the Bpok of Doc-
trine and Covenants — [the central
portion of our inheritance, where
the great temple should be built
upon which a cloud of glory should
rest, and told us that that was the
land of promise, in time and in
eternity, the same as the promise
made to the ancient Saints of God.
We are not in possession of it at the
present time. It cannot, however,
be said concerning us, as it was said
by Stephen concerning Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. He said he gave
those old ancient men not so much
as to set their foot on. But it hap-
pens we paid for some of that land,
and we got our deeds at the Land
OflGice, and we claim this at the
hands of our God, and ask him, if
we do not get it right now, this year,
or ten years* hence, we will ask our
Father to give us that land after the
resurrection, at any rate. But will
we inhabit any of it in time ? Oh,
yes. We will build a great city in
Missouri. We will also build a great
temple unto the Lord our God, in
that city, and the temple block and
plate where it is to stand is already
known. It was laid out in the year
1831, and the corner stone laid, and
we will build a temple there, and
build it after the pattern that the
Lord gave to his servant Joseph, the
Prophet, and also according to the
pattern that he shall hereafter show,
if the pattern is not already given
in full. I will tell you another thing
that will happen in our promised
land, after that temple is built :
there will a cloud of glory rest upon
that temple by day, the same as the
cloud rested upon the tabernacle of
Moses, that was carried in the wil-
derness. Not only that, but also a
flaming fire will rest upon the tem-
ple by night, covering the whole
temple ; and if you go inside of the
temple, the glory of God will be
seen there as it was anciently ; for
the Lord will not only be a glory
and a defense on the outside of that
wonderful building, but he will also
be a glory and a power in the inside
thereof, and it shall come to pasg
that every man and every woman
who is pure in heart, who shall go
inside of that temple, will see the
Lord. Now, how great a blessing
it will be to see the Lord of Hosts
as we see one another in the flesh.
That will take place, but not till
after the temple is built. Moreover,
you will not only be favored with
this great privilege, but Isaiah tells
us that " the Lord will create upon
every dwelling place of Mount Zion,
and upon her as.!^mblies, a cloud
and smoke by day, and the shining
of a flaming fire by night." When
you hold your meeting in the day
time, you shall be sheltered by a
cloud, and when you hold your meet-
ings in the night time, instead of
lighting up your lamps with common
oil, or with gas, or anything of this
kind, you will have no need of any
artificial light, for the Lord Grod
will be the light thereof, and his
THE INCRKASB AND FUTURE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
331
glory will be there, and you will see
it And you will hear his voice. Have
you not read in this book called the
Bible, about the Lord suddenly com-
ing to his temple? Read the 3rd
chapter of Malachi : " Behold, I will
send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me ; and the
Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly
come to his temple. • • * And
he shall sit as a refiner and purifier
of silver ; and he shall purify the
sons of Levi and purge them as gold
and silver, that they may offer unto
the Lord an offering in righteous-
ness." That same fire will rest upon
the abodes of those that come into
that temple, and they will be filled
with fire and the Hoiy Ghost. They
will be purged of all iniquity, and
every ordinance that yill be admin-
istered in that temple will be admin-
istered Jby holy hands, and you will
understand and know the meaning
thereof. The Lord will reveal these
things in their day ; he will reveal
everything that is needful, so that
the knowledge of God may rest upon
yoii, and that there may be no dark-
ness with you. Amen.
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT,
Delivebed in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday afteenoon,
AUGUST 29, 1880.
(Reported hj John Irvine,)
THE INCREASE AnP FUTURE OF THE SAINTS — ^TRUE EDUCATION, ETC.
I stand here to-day, as you are all
aware, to speak of those things
which pertain to the faith that we
have received, of that order which
we call the Gospel of the Son of God,
that order which the world entitles
" Mormonism," a system which con-
tains within itself many elements
which are strange to mankind, but
which are. very powerful in their
character and calculated in their
pr(^ess and growth to arrest the
attention of the human family.
With all the faults, weaknesses and
traditions which encumber the peo-
ple who dwell in these mountains, I
believe the universal testimony is^
that they are entitled to credit for
earnestness, for industry, for hon-
esty, and for many results which
have grown out of these character-
istics. One source of territorial, or
state, or national greatness consists
in a proper understanding of the
purposes for which men dwell upon
the earth, upon their ideas in regard
to family organization, social ethics^
or those principles which bind man
to man and family to family, and
make of a nation a grand united
whole.
The Latter-day Sainta it is wett
332
JOURNA.L OF DISCOURSES.
known are strong advocates of mar-
riage. They believe that every man
and every woman should enter into
that relationship^ They believe in
the divinity of that first command,
that the human race wer^ destined
to multiply and replenish the earth.
Consequently, wherever any large
assembly of the Latter-day Saints
are brought together, there you will
find a very large proportion of those
who are young in years. The theo-
ries which are held by some philo-
sophers, by some men and women
who enter the marriage state, find
no place among the Latter-day Saints.
The universal faith among them is
that children are "an heritage from
the Lord ;" that •* happy is the man
who hath his quiver full of them,"
in contradistinction to an increasing
tendency elsewhere, to believe that
there should be a limit to the num-
ber of children which a man should
possess, and that wheresoever they
may be considered undesirable, from
the claims of society, frovn the dis-
position to follow the fashions of the
-age, from a feeling that self-gratifi-
oation is the highest destiny of the
human family, that there the family
increase should be curtailed. Among
the Latter-day Saints those ideas
have not obtained a foothold. Al-
though they have come from the
outside world, gathered from the
nations of the earth and measurably
partaken of the influences which
prevail there, yet they have not so
far done violence to the instincts
which God has planted within them
as to practice the theories of the
parties to whom I have alluded.
And in all our assemblies, as I have
said before, in this tabernacle as an
illustration, in our ward * meetings
And in all our settlements and colo-
nies, there is substantial testimony
to be found of the fact that in this
obedience to the law of primitive
times, to the law of the constitution
of human nature, and to the law as
revealed to us in this " dispensation
of the fullness of times," the Lat-
ter-day Saints have paid marked and
decided attention.
This increase of population brings
with it many thoughts; it is the
father or parent of much reflection
to those who grasp the situation. I
recollect many a time in my travels
east, when gentlemen in the great
cities of this country made reflec-
tions in regard to our emigration
from the different portions of the
earth, I have said : " Yes, we have
quite an emigration ; the gathering
is a fixed fact, fundamental in the
economy of this Gospel." But out-
side of this gathering there is an-
other one, which fails to arrest the
attention of the world because it
comes in a less ostentatious manner,
and that is the wonderful home in-
crease of that people dwelling in the
mountains. And whenever tourists
visit here, if they travel outside the
limits of this city, if they visit our
settlements in the length and
breadth thereof, they cannot fail to
be struck with the rapid multiplica-
tion of those who have thus gath-
ered from the nations of the earth.
When we inform the world that in
a population of 150,000 souls there
can be found in the neighborhood
of 50,000 in attendance upon our
schools ; when we realize the im-
mense number under the age of
maturity, it would require a mathe-
matician to tell what will speedily
be the increase if the present policy
is pursued. In a few generations to
come, if this characteristic continues
to manifest itself proportionately,
there will be a continual necessity
for spreading forth, Utah will be-
come too small for her spreading
population, and in all the adjacent
Territories and States, ^ose who
THE INCREASE AND FUTURE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
33$
hare been drawn together under her
institutions, who have accepted her
faith and believe in her destiny, —
those will be found measurably car-
rying out the ideas which to-day
permeate our society in a local capa-
city.
In considering this element' grow-
ing up in our midst, we may form
some idea in regard to the future of
the people who dwell here. I believe
there is an ancient proverb which
says that ^' the stream cannot rise
higher than its fountain," that " as
men sow so shall they also reap ;"
and whatever we may have anti-
ci^ted when iUuminated with the
spirit of prophecy, whatever our
private ide^s may be in regard to
the glory and the greatness that
shall rest upon the people, one thing
is sure, that it depends upon the
growth, development and character-
istics which are imprinted and made
manifest in the posterity of the Lat-
ter-day Saints.
Education is one of the ^' catch
words" of this generation. It is con-
sidered to be one of the mightiest
levers for the future prosperity of the
United States ; but opinions in re
gard to what constitutes education
are as various almost as the individ-
uals who are questioned. With a
very large number, education is sup-
posed to consist in the ability to read
and write, and in the understanding
of the geographical character of the
country in which the student lives.
It is considered to be comprehended
in the rules of arithmetic and in the
various branches of an advanced or
classical education, as it is called,
.where the youth of the country gra-
duate, and are then called scholars.
But I apprehend this style of educa-
tion may be given with a generous
and eijctended hand to every son and
daugl^ter of this republic, and yet
when you come to analyze the whole
you will find that the mads of the
people thus trained are, as a rule,
absolutely deficient in the great and
grand element which constitutes the
higher form of education and of
human culture.
There is in the scholastic institu-
tions of the United States something
of a disposition to eradicate from
them ever3rthing which savors of
religious training. It has been
sought in many places to exclude
the Bible as a text book, or a book
to be used in any form whatever,
much more the idea of including any
form of religious faith or practice.
Rather has there been an idea in the
mind of most Americans that it was
fundamental in the constitution and
genius of the country that there
should be an eternal separation be-
tween what is considered and called
religious and secular things. Yet,
when we reflect upon the wonderful
organization we have and that we
see around us, when we reflect upon
the faculties and endowments which
men possess, can we not see that this
very idea of " church and state," oir
religious and secular faculty, is in-
terwoven and is the very fabric of
humanity, placed there by God him-
self, and that there is a disposition
under the religious sentiment to
draw sustenance and support, com-
fort and solace from the conceptions
which pertain to divinity ; and
growing out from this fundamental
religious idea or sentiment and
established thereupon can come alone
all the highest attributes that we
look for in the future, a time when
man shall find all his powers and
functions harmoniously developed.
And it is just as impossible to
separate this great constitutional
principle which enlists in the huma^
organisation as it is to divide or
break asunder an3rtliing: which ih
formed, created, or intended to be
3U
JOURNAL OF DISCOUBSSS.
formed, created, or intended to be
adopted by the great ruler of the
universe. Man possesses his reli-
\gious faculties, no matter how dor-
mant they may be, no matter how
wrapt up by superstition, or blinded
by the ignorance and misconceptions
of the teachers who have moulded
him. God has planted in the hu-
• man organization those attributes
which seek communion with the
, divine. And it is upon righteous
.conceptions of man's origin that his
future will depend. If the young
. men of any community have no cor-
rect ideas in regard to this ; if they
'believe that they are but the product
. of chance : if they are impregnated
with the thought that they are sim-
ply in a transitory condition and
jfchat they may " eat and drink, for
• to-morrow we die," if these are the
thoughts which entertain, all their
actions will corresppnd with these
, thoughts, they will not reach out,
nor after the higher attributes which
.belong to humanity, . they will be
filled with selfishness, with a dispo-
.Bition to gratify their own passions,
even if they have to accomplish this
• at . the sacrifice of the feelings and
interests of those with whom they
come in contact. But if the youth
of our country realize that they are
the sons and daughters of the living
God; if they realize and compre-
hend the fact that before they dwelt
■upon the earth they enjoyed a pre-,
-existence, ,that their spirits, dwelt in
the eternities, and had a home there,
,Jiad associations there, and that they
comprehended something of the pnr-
T^ses for which they should come
and tabernacle in the flesh, then we
may be sure that such thoughts and
feelings will have their influence
upon the entire course of their after
Jife. If the youth of a community
.are thus trained, if they comprehend
|tho relationship which they sustain.
to the great ruler of the universe
if they have faith in God and have
received of the fact that God Hves,
that he holds in his hand the desti-
nies of the human family, that he
hath provided rewards for virtue
and penalties f6r vice — ^if they coip-
prehend these things, their actions
in life will be shaped by these en-
nobling thoughts. But if the educa-
tion which the youth of a country
receives is devoid of training for the
religious sentiment, if the grand
revelations of the ancient times
which God has given through " his
servants the prophets," are set on
one side, and if instead thereof
education is supposed to consist of
arithmetic and the kindred branches
of that science, of political know-
ledge and all that goes to . make up
what is called a scholar, leaving out
the 'cultivation of other attributes
which God has implanted in man, —
if that is the kind . of education im-
parted, then of necessity it will, . at
sume period of time in the history
of that country, bring about religious
death, and as a consequence the
bonds of society would become loos-
eped, men would live for themselves
instead of living for each other, and
they would become simply as " the
beasts- that perish,*' ignoring the
past and caring nothing at all for the
future. Hence I believe that this
education and training is an im-
portant matter , as pertaining. to the
youth pi a country, that it should
not be a Sabbath exercise only, but
that at home, at the family circle,
and in the common day school there
should be as much attention given
to the religious faculties as there
should be given to intellectual and
mental culture about which we talk
so much, and for which we erect so
many schools. And it is also to be
remarked that according to the con-
ceptions of the people on religious
THE INCREASE AND FUTURE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
335
matters, so also will be their concep-
tions in regard to morality. Morality
is the outgrowth of religion. It is
the fruitage ef the tree of life in re-
gard to men's ideas of God, of the
past, and of the future. Without
the cultivation and spirit of true re-
ligion, the moral faculties are very
likely to be perverted, warped and
misdirected. If the idea of brother-
hood finds no place in the education
of our youth, they will be disposed
to take advantage of their brethren,
take advantage in trad«, speculation,
etc., and society would thus become
so individualized, that men would
become a race of Ishmaelites, "every
man's hand against his brother."
I believe that among the people
who inhabit these mountains that
this idea of brotherhood — the broth-
erhood of the human family — forms
a very prominent feature in their
. education. I think our youth are
taught that they should not live for
themselves alone, bnt rather that in
living for others they can and do
best subserve their own interests.
And we have examples of this in
many directions, most notable among
which is the missionary system
which obtains among the Latter-day
Saints. Have we not seen in our
experience in this Territory, some
300 to 400 men called at once to go
forth and preach the Gospel, to
leave their homes and families, their
friends and business, and travel to
the nations of the earth to propa-
gate the religious ideas which they
liad received. We have khowti
those men sent throughout the
United States, to every section of
• Europe, to Australia, to the Islands
of the sea, to China and to India,
imd such has been the devotion of
1^ose who were thus called, that in
the course of three or four weeks,
every man had lefb the scenes and
^associations that were dear to him,
I and through the midst of difficulties
and trials have finally found thei?i-
selves in these widely divergent
points of the compass, to which they
had been called by the yoice of the
people and by the authority presiding
over them. And when they have
gone to these different nations they
have gone in the spirit of brother-
hood, they have looked upon the
human family as their brethren and
their sisters. They have gone in
the capacity of saviors, and they
have carried with them those prin-
ciples which are the foundation of
that civilization which the Almighty
intends to establish on the face of
the earth. They have not gone to
preach that which would narrow the
views of mankind ; they have not
gone to teach that which would in-
troduce a spirit of selfishness or of
anything degrading, but have gone
carrying with them the principle of
universal brotherhood wnich, when
put into practice, will cement and
bind society together in such a man-
ner, that should any power touch
the interests of one they would iti-
evitably touch the interests of the
whole. And it has been by the
ftiith which they have exhibitefl,
by the earnestness with which th^
have labored, by the blessings of
God and the power of his spirit which
accompanied them, that they have
been able to gather fron^ among the
nations the best elements of their
society, and transplant them into
these valleys of the mountains, then
weld them into a comparatively
united people— a people measurably
animated by one thought, one im-
pulse,, one faith,' believing in one
God, and putting into practice one
order — a people who are looking for
one result, and that is the regenera-
tion and redemption of all those
who place themselves beneath the
influence of those ideas and ordi-
336
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
nances which, have been advanced.
This is the tree which has been
planted, and the seed which has
been sown, and the result can be best
calculated by those who have given
most attention to that which has
been taught.
This idea creeps out in almost
every direction. I have given this
illustration, of the missionary effort
which has sent its thousands and
tens of thousands from this commu-
jiity — even when it was much
smaller in numbers than it is at pre-
sent — ^around the habitable globe.
There is also another phase of this
same spirit which the Latter-day
Saints have exhibited, they have
not only sent and are sending the^se
men on missions, and sustaining
them by their means, by their faith
and prayers, but in obedience to the
spirit i gathering they have given
great assistance to those who were
unable to gather of themselves.
Indeed, in the history of the past
have we not seen the time when the
authorities of the Church have called
for from 200 to 600 teams to jour-
ney to the Missouri Eiver to trans-
port the poor and the meek of the
earth across those dreary plains-^
where the raiboad now makes its
welcome music — and they have
landed thousands in this way in the
midst of these mountains and intro-
duced them to the new order of
. civilization which has been inspired
by the spirit of the living God. In
addition to all this they have taken
from these valleys, and laid up at
convenient points on the route, pro-
visions enough to jsustain those
^thousands wmle thus traveling for
three or four months across the
^plains, they have also provided at
such times a strong mounted body
,guard of the youth of the territory
to protect the emigrants from the
assaults of the Indians, so that they
might perform their journey in
safety. And they have gone still
further : they have not only brought
those thousands from the boundaries
of civilization, and from the training
and education of the systems and
governments of the old world, but
they have colonized all these val-
leys, and it is those thousands who
constitute to-day the cities, towns,
and villages of Utah. Not only have
they been placed in these settlements
but they have been taught the rudi-
ments and the advanced principles
of self-sustenance and of positive
independence. The thousands and
tens of thousands of Utah are be-
yond the depths of poverty that you
find exhibited in the old world. The
poverty which is known to exist
there, the strikes which occur in the
ranks of labor in the old world, the
difficulties which belong to even in
so blessed country as the United
States, find no place among the peo-
ple who dwell in these valleys. The
majority of those who have thus
come in strangers, who have been
thus surrounded by new conditions,
and subjected to new influences,
have produced good results. Travel
wherever you will throughout this
territory and you will find the ma-
jority of peopie live in their own
homes ; they pay no rent to anybo^yi
they are not, when poor and unem-
ployed, subject to be turned out inta
the public streets; they are not,
when old age creeps upon them,,
likely to be thrust into the union^ or
poor house as it is called, where the
husband is separated from the wife
and the wife from the husband,
thereby giving practical force to t^he^
new reading of the marriage c&t^
^lony as suggested by some of the
radicals of the old world, tha^ th^^'
service should read, i^ot as it do|es ^t
present^ but ^'till death or j^ot^y
do us part" — ^they are not subject t(>
THE INCREASE. AND FUTURE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
337
theeie conditions, bat a man and
woman have the privilege of living
together, the man with the wife of
his youth ; they see their posterity
grow up in thrift and peace, and
when "the weary wheels of life
6tand stiir' they lay themselves
down in hope of a glorious resurrec-
tion unto eternal li^ I
There is also another feature which
is worthy of remark in this territory.
Can it not be safely said that the
mortality of the people thus gath-
ered together bears a marked con-
trast to that which exists elsewhere 1
Can it not be said that the influence
of industry, of peace, and of good
order, has had a good effect upon
the masses in many directions. The
mental pressure which excites else-
where sends tens of thousands to
suicide or drives them into houses
built for those suffering from in-
sanity, does not exist in the midst
of the Latter-day Saints. Mentally,
^e people of this territoryare pretty
evenly balanced; one of the re-
sults of their faith in God, is that
it enables them to contend manfully
and patiently with dilQSiculties in-
stead of yielding to the circum-
stances thrust upon them, and thus
they become valiant in the battle
of life ; they are not afraid of ob-
stacles, or danger, or duties which
toay surround them ; they believe
that it is best to work, to fight and
overcome, instead of cowardly takr
iQg into their hands the opportunity
of depriving themselves of living
upon the earth and filling a suicide's
grave. The faith of the Gospel
teaches them that life is a school,
that it is an honor and works out
future glory to submit to its discip-
line, to overcome its difficulties, to
solve its problems and to fill its pur-
poses, so that' all the' aittribuies of
their manhood miay bo cuj^ured and
developed. This springs from tHe
No. 22.
fundamental idea which the peopio
of this territory have received ana
which they have accepted in their
faith, and whatever social, commerr
cial, political, or other class of di£G&
culties may arise, and even though
surrounded by the fire of persecu-
tion, they will still exercise this faith
in God, and believe that from all
apparent evil he will bring forth
good. Does not the mental balance
which this people exhibit, this ab^
sence of that tendency toward suicida
and lunacy — which exists in all the
nations of the earth by virtue of the
pressure which society biings to bear
upon the characteristics of men —
does not the fact that this pressure
is unknown amon^ the people of
Utah, (or at least if not unknown,
nearly so) stand as an evidence of
the better character of the institu<-
tions under which they livel On
the other hand they are giving to
their posterity all that the world
calls education. Not that they con-
sider it the primary object and end
of life, but they do consider it useful
to their children in enabling them
to fulfil some of the responsibilities
of manhood, to attend to the busi-
ness duties and affairs of life, and.
for this they are building school-
houses, for this they employ teachers
and erect academies, and in this waj
they have spent in poverty as much,
comparatively speaking, as will bear
a pleasant contrast with any part of
this country, of which they are a
part And while they have endeav^
ored to carry out . this joint style of
education — that is, the cultivation
of the highest attributes, which con-«
sist of faith in God, faith that wo
can. commune .with him, faith- in th^
Sicriptures handed down to us by the
ancient servants of God, faith that
by the, introduction of. the Gospel
and the practice of its prinpiples wijl '
be laid the founda,tion of a higher
Vol XtL
d38
JOURNAL OF DISOOURSIEB.
civilization, calculated in its nature to
supercede all other forms with which
man may have been acquainted in
the ages that are past — ^yet for all
this, politically they do not feel
obliged to be either democrats or
republicans, whigs or nationalists,
but rather feel to cultivate all the
qualities of patriotism and citizen-
snip, developing these to the highest
possible perfection. But even in
connection with a system which aims
at these results, a system which has
8|et before its believers so elevated a
t>latform, there will occasionally in
individuals be comparative failure.
But wherever men are possessed of
this faith, it is simply a question of
time as to its ultimate success, and
the day is not far distant when those
who hold this faith will not be con-
fined to Utah and the adjacent ter-
ritory, they will not be held in bond-
age and vassalage, and have ap-
pointed over them men in whose
election they have no voice, but they
will stand qualified with all that of
excellence they desire, and have the
privilege of being free and full
American citizens.
I said awhile ago that there had
been a good deal of talking and a
good deal of writing in regard to a
busbear called the union of Church
ibnd State. But it is folly to talk or
write against a thing which God has
Incorporated into the very fabric of
man's being ; and it would be a good
deal better now for the nation in
which we live if the ranks of poli-
tical parties were less divided, were
more imbued with a sense of honor,
virtue, purity, and the spirit of
brotWhood. This would remove
from them a great many of the evQs
with which they are afflicted : it
'^ould help to strengthen their
efforts for the good of the nation —
in every way — ^if they, in the spirit
<of Ijhe Chxistian faith, went forth to
receive the sufifhtges of their fellow
men, and then tSke with t^em into
the halls of Congress the samt
spirit, there to labor with just con-
ceptions of justice and brotherhood,
rtolizing that "God hath inadeof
one blood all the nations of the earth."
If our polHical parties were animated
by this spirit, would not the name
of America stand higher than has
ever yet been dreamed of by those
who entered her counsels or sat to
administer her affairs. I an an ad-
vocate for the system which has been
established in Utah Territory, because
I have studied it, I have seen its
influences, I have marked its power
over the lives of those who have
been obedient and subservient to
it, and I know myself that it is
calculated to develop the best fea-
tures of our humanity, to unite the
human family together, to bring
heaven to earth, to bring men into
communion with the angels, and
to hasten the day when not only the
angels, but Jesus shall come to the
earth and reign, and when the
thousands of those who have been
prepared under the influence and
institutions of Zion shall have the
privilege of associating with "the
Church of the first-bom; and the
spirits of just men made perfect"
This I knbw to be the power and
spirit, the end andj aim, the final
triumph of the Gospel of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, and I feel
proud that thousands in Utah have
consecrated all that they possess to
the establishment of this divine
system which you can read of in the
lustory of the past, and which has
again been reveded in our day
through the ministration of angeh
to the Ptophet Joseph, on the east-
ern shores of the continent of North
America. I know also that in the
progress of this work it will not
only take hold of the poor and meek
THE mCREASS AND FUTURE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
339
4>f iihe eartii, but the day is not far
distant when it will take hold of
many of the more thoughtful and
«altivated among men ; and while
we may look back through the his-
tory of the past and think there
never were statesmen like Wash-
ington and others who have left
their names on the records of fame,
yet, my brethren and sisters, the
Gospel tells us that these were only
Ihe precursors of many in the future
who in intellect and culture shall
«tand unfolded in all that harmony
and glory which belongs to the
eternities.
I know the Latter-day Saints .un-
derstand these things, and in the
spirit thereof they are seeking to
Goltivate their faith in God, seeking
to consecrate their time, talent and
ability to the building up of Zion
upon the earth ; And to those who
are strangers in their midst who are
not acquainted with their pro-
gramme, not acquainted with the
ambition which prompts and in-
spires the Latter-day Saints — to
such we say these are the ideas by
which we are actuated. They know
they are workers for God, they are
laborers in the great field of human
progress, and diey are using that
which they have received from the
keavens, believing that divine pur-
poses are best served by divine edu-
cation and divine culture, and when
these are operating, all the facilities
about which men boast, sink into
comparative insignificance in con-
trast with that higher education
which belongs to and grows out of
the Gospel of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
I ask our friends who turn in with
us occasionally, to give us credit for
this earnestness of purpose, and al-
though they nray not see as we see,
although they may consider the Lat-
ter-day Saints mad, yet they must
•admit that " there is method in
their madness." The results which
are now seen are but the drops be-
fore the shower, the little progress
now made is but the shadow of that
which shall be seen when they shall
return to the land of the rising sun,
for then in every State of the Union
will be found wonderful colonies
of the Latter-day Saints, wielding
power and influence under the ad-
ministration and institutions of Zion,
working as they work now for the
elevation and progress and redemp-
tion of the human family.
May God give us wisdom " to
work while it is day," to labor dili^
gently in the duties to which we
have been called, and when we have
done this, may we be saved in the
celestial kingdom of our God, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.
840
JOURNA.L OF DIS00ini8E8.
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Sunday Aptebnoon, Jan. 2d, 18811
(Reported hy Qeo. F. Oihhs.)
THE ETERNITIES BEFORE THE SAINTS — THE SUBLIMITY OF THE
GOSPEL) ETC.
I am pleased to have another op-
portunity of meeting with you on
this the first Sabbath of the New
Year; and I will add to all the faith-
ful, ten thousand more of them. For
we, as Latter-day Saints, do not con-
rider that our existence ends with
time, as we generally term it, but
that it readies into ^eternity. And
that while we are here in a state of
probation to fulfil the various duties
devolving upon us, as Saints ''of the
living God ; while we come into the
world and exist in it for a time and
then leave it, we have hopes and
aspirations beyond the grave, and
anticipate that, as ages and cycles
shall pass alon^ and generation
succeeds generation, if we are true
to our trust and live our religion,
keeping the commandments of God
and fulfilling the various covenants
devolving upon us to attend to,
that we shall associate with the just
in the eternities to come ! therefore
we are living, and hoping, and ex-
pecting, and planning, and contriv-
ing and operating, forthe accomplish-
ment of this object. We do not
look upon the affairs of this life as
those alone in which humanity is
interested. We have been taught
differently by those who have had
eommunication with the Lord, and
to whom he bas revealed his wilL
We have been taught differently by
the holy priesthood that we have in
our midst ; we have been taught
differently by the Holy Spirit which
we have i*eceived in God's appointed-
way, according to his law ; which
spirit has enlightened our minds^
and given unto us an • evidence
and a testimony similar to that
which we heard Brother Smith speak
of that he knew this work to be of
God. How did he know itf
Through obedience to the law of
God, by the reception of the Holy
Ghost and through the union and
communion that exists between God
and his children upon the eartL,
This is a principle of certainty and
testimony, and an evidence that we
all have the privilege of enjoying for
ourselves, and of knowing that God
lives ; of knowing that this is the-
Church of Jesus Christ and the^
kingdom of God; and of knowing
also that God lives and that he is our
Father, and that we are his children;
and of further knowing that, "when
this earthly house of our tabernacle
is dissolved," we can feel like one of
old, that "we have a building o£
God, a house not made with hands^
eternal in the heavens," waiting for
us, and not for us only but for all
THB ETERNITUCS BEFORE THE SAINTS, ETC.
341
,who love the appearing of our Lord
4uid Savior Jesu3 Christ. Were it
not for this hope, were it not for
this spirit, were it not for this intel-
ligence that has been communicated
unto us by the light of revelation
and by the manifestation of the
Spirit of God, through the revela-
tions of God to man in these the
last days, by the opening of the
heavens, by the administration of
-holy angels, and by the revelations
•of the will of God to man ; were it
nob for this we should not have been
here to day, this congregation would
not have been assembleid here as
they are ; the Latter-day Saints
would not have been in this terri-
tory ; nor would they have been any-
where else ; for it is because God has
seen fit in the fullness of times, ac-
cording to the testimony given by
the holy prophets, who have pro-
phesied since the world was, accord-
ing to the designs and eternal pur-
poses of God pertaining to the
inhabitants of the earth — those who
now live, those who. have lived and
those who will live ; were it not for
the purposes of God pertaining to
these things, and the communica-
tions of his will to us, we could .not
be, as I before stated, in theposition
we now occupy. But God having
designed to accomplish his work in
the interests of the people of the
world, in this day and age, in the
interest of the myriads who have
passed out of the world, in the in-
terest of the living and the dead,
he has commenced his work for the
salvation, for the redemption and
for the exaltation of the human
family, and hence things are as we
see them nmong us to-day.
When we talk about the theories
of men, they are matters of very
little importance; when we reflect
upon their ideas or views, they are
.really unimportant, but when we
talk about the law of God, the plans
of Jehovah and his designs pertain-
ing to the world in which we live
and its inhabitants, and to the inhar
bitants that have lived, and to aljl
humanity, then we touch upon a
subject that is grand, noble and sub-
lime ; one that enters into the re-
cesses of the heart and that touches
every fibre, and that causes our
hopes and aspirations to reach ^vithia
the vail, where Christ our forerun-
ner has gone, and we feel convinced
that there is an eternal fitness in
all the laws, in all the truths, in all
the ordinances, and in everything
that God has revealed for the salva-
tion and exaltation of the human
family. We are here, and how did
we come here 1 What was it that
brought us here? Some- hardly
know ; and then there are a great
many who do understand this thing
very well. We are here because we
listened to the eternal truths of the
gospel, and that gospel could not
have been known unless it had been
revealed. For no m^n nor any set
of men, to-day, understand those
principles which are calculated to
exalt men in the celestial kingdom
of God, nor could they compr^end
them unless God had revealed them.
And when we hear of the folly, the
raving and ranting of ignorant men
who know not God nor his laws, who
would presume to dictate to Jeho-
vah, who would teach something tha^
they know nothing about ; but being
without revelation, are fitly repre-
sented in the Scriptures as " Know-
ing nothing but what they know
naturally as brute beasts, made to be
taken and destroyed." For instance,
we have our cattle, our sheep and
other animals which we raise and
provide food lor and feed and fatten
them. What for] For the knife.
How could we do it if they knew
what we were doing it for 1 I do
342
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
not think they would get very fat.
Still, one of the old prophets, in
speaking of these men who are with-
out revelation, says, "They know
nothing but what they know natu-
rally as brute beasts." We certainly
do not wish such men for our in-
structors.
Many men at the present day will
tell us that they will believe nothing
but what they can see with their
eyes, handle with their hands and
comprehend with their judgments.
And what are they prepared for ? I
might here ask, What does man in
reality know of Grod and of his laws,
or of the proper fitness of things 1
What does he know about that
vitality that he himself is in posses
fiion of, or that which any other
animal *is in possession of? He
knows nothing pertaining to if, nor
can he impart it. When we talk
about the wisdom of man, how far
does it go ] We learn a few of the
laws of nature. Who gave these
laws ] Who originated or organized
them? Who placed these eternal
laws in nature V Who made the
solar system, for instance, to move
with that accuracy and punctuality
according to exact rules and laws t
Who made any portion of that sys-
tem, gave it its original force or sus-
tains it in its motion ? Who planted
in matter its exact and various laws?
Can any of the learned and the wise
of this day and age make anything
of that kind or anything approach-
ing to it? Who gives life and
vitality to mani Boes man give
it] We are told that "there is
a spirit in man, and the inspira-
tion of the Almighty giveth it un-
derstanding," but without that what
are we, although our organization
may be complete in all its parts, yet
without the spirit the body is lifeless,
motionless and inanimate. What
are we ? At best but little specs in
motion moving about in the worlds
puffed up, in many instances, with
things we profess to know, when
really we know nothing only as God
communicates it^ and can under-
stand nothing only as he makes it
manifest. Can aU the philosophers
of to-day make a grain of wheat and
give vitality to it, much less a world 1
Or can they make a simple blade
of grass 1 It is not a big thing to
ask a wise man to do, especially
those who desire to ignore God in
his works, but can the wisest of our
philosophers do iti No, nor can
they discover the secrets of life, nor
the i^^■pulses which act upon all na-
ture in all the varied operations.
Who governs the planetary system!
The great God, the same who causes
our earth as well as other systems to
revolve upon their axes, and provide
for them, and has measured and
given them their times and seasons,
and their laws. Who is it that causes
the blood to flow through our veins?
He that has given and does give in-
telligence to man. Can anybody
point out any of those vital prin-
ciples and show that they originated
independently of God? No, they
cannot And so it is through all
creation, no matter what you touch
pertaining to nature. When man
discovers a law of nature either in
the mineral, the animal, the vege-
table or any other kingdom, he
will find that it is governed by
strict eternal and unchangeable and
undeviating laws ? And when men
discover that, what do they find out?
Something which Gud has placed
there, something that has always
existed. We talk sometimes about
the great discoveries we have made.
We will refer to gas, for instance ;
some of us can remember very well
when there was no such thing
known among us as gas for lighting
purposes. Who originated the ele-
THE ETEBNUIBS BEFORE THE SAINTS, ETC.
343
ments of which it is composed J The
great God ; and thi^t principle al-
ways existed. We speak about
electricity and the uses to which
it can be applied. Who origi-
nated that principle ? ^' 0, it was
found out a few years. ago and we
found it very usedful in communi-
cating one with another; through
its use we can send a message to-
day from one part of the world to
another, and can be in communi-
cation really with the world." Well,
we think we have done something
very remarkable, in discovering
something of that kind, and it
really is a great discovery; but
then that principle always existed,
ever since the wojld was framed;
the only thing that we can boast of
is that we have discovered a certain
principle which we did not know of
before ; and there are ten thousand
other principles beyond, which we
have not yet discovered ; but when
we do discover them we shall find
them to be the same eternal laws of
God. I am reminded sometimes of
a little infant. You look at the
body; it comes into the world ; it has
its common faculties. By and by it
makes a discovery, it iinds out that
it has a hand, and it looks at it as
much as to say. It is a veiy curious
thing, and it is a remarkable dis-
covery that I have made. Why, it
always had a hand, but the baby
did not always know it.
It has been remarked here by Bro.
Penrose that all things are governed
by law. This is so whether in the
material world, or whether — I was
going to sa}'^ — in the immaterial
world, but we do not know of such
a thing ; I will say therefore, the
spiritual world, if you please. We
are very singularly constituted,
forming a combination of body and
spirit. We learn a little about the
bodies of men, but do we know about
the spirits 1 We know from history,
of some things which have taken
place in the past, but what do we
know about things pertaining to the
future t Who can comprehend God
or his ways 1 One of old in speaking
upon this subject says, " It is high
as heaven ; what canst thou do t
Deeper than hell ; what canst thou
understand 1" There are some pro-
minent features which God has re^^
vealed to us ; and there are ten
thousands of principles which he has
not revealed. Those principles that
he has revealed to us, like every-
thing else pertaining to the works
and the designs of God, bring a dor
gree of certainty, .assurance, intelli-
gence and satisfaction that nothing
earthly can impart. The Saints
themselves, do not, in many in-
stances, understand the ** whys"
and the *' wherefores" pertaining
to these matters. We are taught
to obey certain laws ; we are taught
to repent of our sins, and to have
hands laid upon our heads for the
reception of the Holy Ghost. Here
is a law that God has appointed,
just tiie same as he has regulated
these other systems of which I speak,
and with which we are more or less
familiar. We have electricity float-
ing around us in every direction.
In order to make it subserve our
desires we have to use it according
to certain laws. At present we have
to string up wire properly connect-
ing it and use a battery and a ma-
chine made for the purpose, in
order to convey our thoughts to
others at a distance ; and without
first paying due regard to these or
other appliances that perhaps might
be substituted, we could not com-
municate. When you comply with
the law governing this matu^r, that
is, when you erect the poles, string
the wire, make your battery and
have the machine and the circuit
344
JOURNAL OF BISOOUBSXR.
complete, you may then convey yonr
thoughts correctly over the wire by
the means of electricity to others at
a distance. You know they have
been correctly sent because you can
receive" your answer back ; and if
necessary, have the message you sent
repeated. Now the same principle
is true in regard to the other things.
And do the persons who operate the
telegraphmachine always understand
all about the philosophy of it 1 No,
but very few of them comparatively.
Yet they learn to operate while
somebody else does the thinking and
prepares the machine and appliances
for them for the purpose of introduc-
ing this mode of communicating.
Now then, look at the principle that
looks to many very simple associated
with that way which God has or-
dained and appointed for man to
become acquainted with him, and
to be introduced to him and to his
laws. How is it? why the elder
goes forth to preach, and what is he
told to preach ? Faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Kepentance and bap-
tism for the remission of sins, and
the laying on of hands for the re-
ception of the Holy Ghost. Now
these look to many as being very
simple things, very simple ; yet they
are things which God has ordained,
they are his laws, they were in for-
mer times, they are in this time.
We cannot violate these and receive
the blessings, and no other people
can ; I do not care who they are, they
cannot do it. Let us go back to our
experience. There are hundreds
of you present who have received
the spirit of the living God ; how
did you receive iti You say, an
elder came along, and we heard him
E reach ; he told me to believe in the
iord Jesus Christ and to repent of
my sins, and that he was authorized
to baptize me for the remission of
my sins, and he told me that if I did
this that hands should th^ be laid
upon my head and I should receive
the Holy Ghost. This is the doc-
trine you heard. Then you had
faith in Ood ; you repented of your
sins, your follies and wickedness,
and you covenanted to fear God and
keep his commandments, and to ob-
serve his laws. ' The elder then went
forth and led you into the water,
and he said, '* Being commissioned
of Jesus Christ I baptize j'ou for the
remission of your sins in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost, Amen." He then
buried you in the water and raised
and brought you . out of it. After
he did* this, he laid his hands upon
your head, and by the same autho-
rity he confirmed you a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints, and said, "Iteceive
ye the Holy Ghost."
Now that is a very peculiar opera-
tion when you come to think upon
it. Why is it thus 1 A man goes
forth who has authority given him
of Jesus Christ, he baptized you for
the remission of your sins in the
name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost. There is
something very peculiar about it. It
looks very simple ; but if that man
had no such authority, then he was
an impostor ; and it the man or men
who ordained that elder conferring
on him this priesthood, had not the
authority to do so, then he or they
were impostors ; and if God had
not given revelation instructing
Joseph Smith in relation to these
things, how they were to be done,
then Joseph Smith himself was an
impostor, as well as the apostles and
all men professing authority. These
are self-evident facts. We as a peo-
ple do not profess to have received
any authority from any other source,
THE ETERNITIES BEFORE THE SAINTS, ETC.
M6
from any man or set of men, or any
church or any organization existing ;
(and if Grod has not revealed it, then
the whole thing is a falsehood and
^fiction, and there is nothing to it.
Here is a picture [pointing to the
veiling] of the angel Moroni appear-
ing unto Joseph Smith, revealing
to him among other things the plates
from which the Book of Mormon
was translated. We have another
•here [pointing to John the Baptist
conferring upon Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery the Aaronic priest-
hood], and still another, represent-
ing teter, James and John confer-
ring upon Joseph Smith the Mel-
chisedec priesthood Very well. Are
these things true ] There are thou-
sands of Latter-day Saints who will
tell you they know it. We will
come to these things by and by.
But if these things were not so, then
our faith is in vain, then we are
dark and benighted as others are,
then the things we believe in are a
phantom and can avail us nothing,
either pertaining to this world or
the world to come ; then the build-
ing of these temples amounts to
nothing, if these things are a fiction,
and everything we have done and
are engaged in amounts to nothing.
But if they are true, then there is
nothing of so great importance to
the world of mankind and to us, as
the revelation of these truths to man
in these last days, and pertaining
also to our association therewith.
Now, when an elder lays his hands
upon a man and confirms upon him
the Holy Ghost, he tells him to re-
ceive it by virtue of the authority
conferred upon him. What author-
ity 1 Why God restored the author-
ity of the holy priesthood by those
who held the keys of that priest-
hood and who ttdminister in time
and in eternity, who hold that priest-
hood upon the earth, and who now
hold it in the heavens. They came
here to impart it to men, and did
restore it to men. Very well, that
being the case, man was again placed
in communion with his God; not
left any longer to guess and sup-
pose and surmise and to think, but
to knew. For instance, I have my-
self been thousands of miles and
hundreds of thousands to preach
this Gospel ; would I have gone if I
had not known it to be true 1 No, I
would not. There is nothing very
pleasing in going forth to an unbe-
lieving world to meet the errors and
the prejudices of ages, and to oppose
the false theories of men, to intro-
duce the principles that are opposed
and repudiated by the carnal mind,
and by the corrupt everywhere ;
there is nothing very pleasant or
inviting to be traduced and to have
yonr name cast out as evil, no mat-
ter how honorable you may be, this
has been the lot of the elders of this
Church and is their lot to-day, by
men who know not of what they
speak, by men who are bigoted, su-
perstitious and ignorant ; men who
comprehend not God nor his laws ;
but we know it, and I know the
truths of which I speak, and bear
testimony to it before you. If others
do not know it, I cannot help it ; I
have obeyed the method appointed
to receive these things, as you have
had to do, to be initiated into the
Church and kingdom, according to
the laws which God has ordained.
What I have done, then, all others
in this Church have done ; and the
elders of Israel have been actuated
by the same impulses, have obeyed
the same doctrines and ordinances,
and have administered the same
ordinances to others. They aa?e
influenced by the same spirit, and
they realized and knew for them-
selves of the things which they pro-
mulgated and taught. Is this con*
346
JOURNAL OF DISOOUB»SS.
fined to elders alone! No. To
the apostles and {Hresidentsi No.
To the seventies or high priests or
elders, bishops^ priests, teachers or
deacons) No. This is a thing
which pertains to all j all who are
Latter-day Saints, all who have
complied with the requirements and
who have thus placed themselves in
the condition to receive this know-
ledge j and you men who are before
and around me to-day are witnesses
of the truth of that which I say,
because you yourselves did receive
the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Grod
which imparted to you a knowledge
of the principles of the Gospel and
placed you in communion with God
your heavenly Father. And this
Spirit has borne witness to our
spirits as it has been said by one of
old, "that we are the children of
God, and if children, then heirs ;
heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Christ." We sometimes treat these
things rather lightly, scarcely com-
prehending what we are doing ; and
I often think that our elders them-
selves hardly realize the significance
of the situation they occupy when
they say to him that believes, re-
pents and is baptised, '* Receive thou
the Holy Ghost." Is there a thing
of more importance that we can
think of anywhere than this which
so many of us treat so lightly. The
idea of a man, human and fallible,
pronouncing the reception of the
Holy Ghost upon his fellow man.
and his fellow receiving that heav-
enly treasure, is one of the greatest
manifestations of the faithfulness
of God, in sanctioning the acts of
his elders that it is possible for us
to conceive of. He has said that
through these ordinances he would
confer the Holy Ghost ; he has also
fulfilled it, as the thousands who
hear me to-day can bear record.
Here is the thing that operated
npon yon and which wa^ the moans
of bringing you here to this place,
from many of the nations of the
earth.
Some people find fault with us
about these tilings. I have said fre^
quently to men that I cannot help
my faith and I am sure you cannet
help it ; no man living can control
my fiuth, for I have received a por-
tion of the Spirit of the Lord and I
know it ; and if you have received a
portion of that same Spirit you know
it, and you cannot un-know it — it
is impossible, you cannot un-know
it, unless you sin against God and,
as the apostle said, grieve the Spirit
by which you were sealed ; then it
withdraws from you, then you will
not know much about it, no more
than some do who take this course
against us. The apostle said, ' 'Grieve
not the Spirit of God by which you
are sealed to the day of redemption;"
do not grieve it, do not sin against
God, do not violate his laws, do not
corrupt yourselves; do not corrupt
your bodies, for are they not as one
has said, " the temples of the living
God 1 " Do not allow your spirits
to be contaminated and led astray
from correct principles, but cleave
unto God in all humility, fidelity,
faithfulness ; observing his laws and
keeping his commandments. Why,
then, let me ask, are you here 9 You
are here because the elders of Israel
AHsited the place where you lived in
this nation, or in nations afar off,
preaching the principles of the ever-
lasting Gospel which had been re-
stored ; and you believed their tes-
mony, and obeyed the Gospel, and
received a knowledge of its divinity,
iand because of this you came here ;
and hence the elders, the apostles,
the presidents, and all the various
peoples and members being touched
by the spark of that fire that dwells
in the bosom of God, being enh'ght-
THE BTBRNITIES BBFORK TH£ 8AINT8, £Ta
347
ened by that Holy Spirit which is
promised to those who obey his law,
you left your homes, your friends,
your associations, and came here to
mingle with the Saints of the Most
Bigh, to unite with them and to
assist in carrying out those purposes
that God designs pertaining to the
human family. Now in all this
Joseph Smith and those associated
with him — Oliver Cowdery, Martin
Harris, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rig-
don and others, — understood these
principles ; they commenced this
work not of their own free will,
and, yes, of their own free will,
too ; but they did not originate
them. God originated them and
they were instrumental in his hands
in introducing them. These men
having been ordained themselves,
ordained others who went forth to
proclaiin that word of truth which
they had received. And why did
you come here] Because you re-
ceived that testimony and believed
it and obeyed it and received the
Holy Ghost, and associated with
those who believed the same princi-
ples. There was something that pro-
pelled you forward, you hardly knew
why or how, but you were desirous
to come to Zion. Why] Because
you are living in the dispensation of
the fulness of times, when God will
gather together all things in one,
and the keys of the gathering dis-
pensation had been introduced ; and
because you had received of that
spirit, and you never felt easy until
you got here. Well, how was that?
What operated upon you? The
Spirit of God. Was it a some-
thing that was craving after wealth
and position and power and ag-
grandizement, to have a great and
honorable name? No, it was as
you first were taught and as you
afterwards comprehended, it was
how to learn to save yourselves, to
save your progenitors, to save your
posterity ; it was that you might
obtain a knowledge of the laws of
life, fulfil the measure of your
creation, and that while you felt
as a man among men upon the
earth, you might, by and by, through
obedience to pure principles, stand
among the Gods as a God, in the
eternal worlds, and be exalted
through the power of the GospeL
This is why you came here, and are
coming here, and being here, we
brought our bodies with us. We
have to eat and drink, we need
clothing. The curse has not been
removed from the earth yet, there-
fore we have " to eat our bread by
the sweat of our brow." We have
to do in regard to these matters as
others do ; and being here, what
theni Why a number of people
make what may be termed a com-
munity. We are living on land,
and that land, in a territorial capa-
city is part and parcel of the
United States, and as a territory
of the United States, we neces-
sarily form an integral part of the
United States ; being men, and hav-
ing bodies as other men, independent
of our general feelings, thoughts,
actions and sentiments, we have to
live and move, to eat, to drink, to
occupy farms, houses, cities, and
lands ; and to perform all the varied
duties of citizens, associated with
the body politic. What next ? We
have our religious duties to perform,
and that is to fear God and to ob^
serve his laws.
What else V We build temples.
What for ] To administer the ordi-
nances of God. What ordinances 1
Those that God has revealed, and
those that the world know nothing
about ; and if they had the temples
already built for them to-day they
would not know any more what to
do with them than that pitcher does ;
9^
JOURNAL OF DISCOUBSiCS.
-nor would vr^ unless God had re-
vealed it. Now we are going on
tquietly to attend to our duties, build-
ing our temples and administering in
them. Here is Brother John L.
Smith — ^how long Brother Smith
bave you been administering in the
Temple at St. George 1 [Brother
Smith : Four years, sir.] And for
whom ] For himself] Yes, a little,
»ot much however, principally for
others. For the weliare of whom?
The living. Who else? Of the
4ead ; that we may fulfil certain
duties that God has called us to
perform, to help in the accomplish-
m^t of his designs and purposes.
And that as God has been pleased
to restore to the earth the keys
which £lijah held, who conferred his
power upon others tu turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children, and
the hearts of the children to the
fathers, that the fathers who existed
upon the earth in generations gone
past, and we who are now in exis-
tence and our children that are fol
lowing after us, might be cemented
and united together by eternal bonds
which God has pointed out. That
there might be an alliance and co-
operation between those in the hear
vens and those on the earth ; that
there might be a welding, uniting,
cementing principle; in which the
priesthood in the heavens and on
the earth are united, to carry out the
great designs of our heavenly Far
ther in the salvation and redemption
of the living and the dead, and
that we might operate for them on
.the earth while they are operating
for us in the heavens. For it is
"written, that ''They without us
oannot be made perfect," neither
can we become perfect without them.
; We, then, are operating in our part,
and they in theirs ; we on the earth,
I they in the heavens; and with God
; they are operating, and with Jesus
Christ, who is the mediator of the
new covenant^ and with the ancient
prophets and apostles of God, who
lived before, who administered in
time and in eternity, holding the
everlasting priesthood, and who are
all interested in the welfare of the
world and the exaltation of man.
Well, now, what shall we dol
Shall we go on with it 1 We will
try to^ the Lord being our helper.
Some people say we are very wicked.
Well, I do not think we are as
good as we ought to be by a long
way, but I do think we are very
much better than they are. This is
my opinion, with all our follies and
all our weaknesses, and all our
infirmities. And — well, I would
not like to say what I know about
them. God knows it. We will let
that go. The Lord will judge men
by their acts, and he will judge us
and all others by our acts.
Now, we have a territorial form
of government. I will come to
that again. What shall we dof
Observe the laws of men 1 I think
that is a verv easy thing to do.
There is nothing very hard about
that ; if they will not interfere with
us in religious matters, there is
nothing very hard about keeping
the laws of the land. Will we pay
taxes ] Yes. Will be loyal to the
government 1 Yes. Will we sus-
tain all good, honorable men that
are rulers ? Yes, and pray God to
inspire them with wisdom, that they
may be led in the right path. Will
we fight with them and quarrel with
them, and say hard words about
them and misrepresent them as they
do us 1 No, we will not. It would
try me very much sometimes to have
to tell the plain and unpalatable
truth about them, of things which,
without falsehood, I can say, I know
for myself. Still, will they try to
interfere with us 1 Yes. Who 1 All
THE ETERNITIES BUSTORS THE SAINTS, ETC.
34»
kinds of foolish people, ignoi^nt,
narrow-minded, degraded, wallowing
in iniquity and besmeared with cor-
ruption of every kind ; and yet they
talk to us about our impurities.
They have reason to talk a little,
but not much. We are not what
we should be by a long way ; we
ought to be a great deal better than
we are. I pray that God may en-
able us to be so.
Well, we do not interfere with
them. Whose religion do we inter-
fere with t Nobody's. I hope you
do not, I know I do not ; if they
are satisfied with it, I am satisfied
that they should have it. I believe
in every man using the free exercise
of his judgment and conscience,
leaving the balance with Grod. I will
tell peojde the truth j if they obey
it, ]dl right, if not, certainly I will
not prosecute them or persecute
them because of their views. But
on the contrary, if anybody were to
interfere in any way with the reli-
gious faith of any one, I care not
how foolish it might be, I would be
among the first to stand forth in the
defense of him whose rights were
assailed ; not because I believed in
his religion at all ; but because my
sense of justice and equal rights
would impel me to this action ; for
if I claim those rights myself I ought
to respect them in others, holding
as I do that it is the right of all men
to believe in and worship as they
please. And while there are thou-
sands of highminded honorable men
in this great nation who believe in
and sustain the principles of freedom
and' equal rights, there at^ very
many foolish,, incoaisiderate men,
wh^o Would recklessly tear down the
temple of freedom erected by the
fathers of this nation, and ruthlessly
proscribe, prosecute and persecute
all who cannot subscribe to their
narrow erratic, unsupported ideas.
But will you not conform to their
ideas? No, I will not, the Lord
being my helper, and then the peo^
pie will not God being their helper.
The Lord has revealed unto us th^
truth, and we know it, and we will
stand by it and maintain it from:
this time forth, God being our helper;
and ail who believe in that say aye
[the congre^tion said aye]. That
IS the feeling of the Latter-da^
Saints I know. But will we inter-
fere with anybody 1 No ! no ! wd
will not. With their politics 1 Not^
much. For while we are interested
in the welfare of the nation, we care^
very little about the present political
issues. We think that a great and
magnanimous nation, however.'
could well afford to let us alone,
and would feel like endorsing General
Grant's axiom, " Let us have peace.*
But then if people will interfere
with us while we are pursuinc th<>
even tenor of our way, we will de-
fend and protect ourselves from
their assaults as best we may, and
then we will commit them to God.
We have not started this work, God-
commenced it, not us, and we are
simply endeavoring to carry out hi»
will and law. Wiill we do it?
With the Lord's help we will.
Will we fight against authority ♦
No. Will we oppose the princi*
pies of this government 1 No. We
will sustain them. But if people
will act foolishly we cannot help it.
If this nation can stand the results
of the violation of constitutional'
principles, we can. If they teaf
down the bulwarks of freedom and
with impunity trample under foot
the rights of men we cannot help itv
If it is our turti, to-day, to suffer
wrong, it will be somebody else**
to-morrow, national retrogressions^
are not often arrested. It behoove*
statesmen to pause in their career.
The floodgates once opened who
35Q
JOXJRNAL OF niSCOU&BSS.
ahatl 8ti^ the tonr^it ? We of all
^en would save the ship of state
aad would say to these national
patricides avaunt ! But if they will
act foolishly and eontinue to do so
until they subvert the principles
q[ liberty, and thus destroy one
of the best governments ever in-
stituted on earth, then if forsaken
by all else, the elders of this Church
will rally round the Constitution,
lift up the standard of freedom,
which is being trodden under foot
and bedrabbled by demagogues, and
proclaim liberty to the world ;
equal rights, liberty and equality;
^eedom of conscience and of wor-
ship to all men everywhere. That
is not a prophecy of mine ; it is a
prophecy of Joseph Smith's, and I
believe it very strongly. Will we
o^ppose them 1 No. Let them go on
in their own way and we will pray
to God to turn the designs of wicked
men, and if they will not repent and
turn from their evil deeds, pray to
him that they may be taken in their
own trap, be caught in their own
snare, and fall into the pit which
they dig for us. Can you pray with
a good conscience that this may be-
hll them 1 Certainly. If men dig
a pit for others they should not find
lault if they fall into it themselves.
And as sure as God lives they will
do it, if they persevere in their ini-
quity, and as sure as we stand faith-
fill to the principles of truth, God
will stand by us, and the wrath of
man will be made to praise him, and
the remainder he will restraiti ;
&nd they cannot help themselves.
For both they and we are in the
bands of God, and they can go no
Ihrther thi^n he permits them, nei-
ther can we. And we will try, as
the friends of this nation and of hu-
nUmity, to do rights and to sustain I
all correct prindples, in the main*
tenance of justice and equal rights
to all ; cultivaifcing peace, respecting
law, sustaining our institutions, and
praying that right, justice and equity
may prevail throughout the land;
and that the hands of all honorable
men may be strengthened to pre-
serve inviolable the God-given. insti-
tutions of this great nation. Let us
also try to fulm all of our duties as
fathers, and our duties as mothers,
our duties as children and ourduties
as citizens of the United States,
our duties as Presidents, our duties
as Apostles, our duties as High
Priests, our duties as Seventies,
our duties as Elders and our duties
as Priests, Teachers and Deacons,
and our duties as members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints. Let us humble our-
selves before the Lord, live in the
light of the Spirit of Gk>d, that the
Holy Spirit which we have received
may be in us '' as a light that shines
brighter and brighter until the per-
fect day." And if we are faithful,
Grod will stand by Israel; he will
preserve his elect; he will listen to
our prayers : and we will go to work
by his help to build up Zion and
establish the Kingdom of God upon
the earth ; and we and our posterity
will never cease doing it until the
"kingdom of this world shall be-
come the kingdoms of our Grod and
his Christ, and he shall rule forever
and forever ; " and then throughout
the endless ages of eternity among
the Gods in the eternal worlds we
will join in singing, " blessing and
glory and honor and power and
might and majesty and dominion
be ascribed to him that sitteth upon
the throne and unto the Lamb for-
ever." £ven sa Amen«
THS GOSPEL, — ^A PRACTICAL AND COMPREBENSIVB RELIGION, £10. 351
DISCOURSE BY ELDER CHAS. W. PENROSE,
DSLIVEREB IN THS SaLT LaKS ASSEMBLY HaLL, SuNDAY AfT££NOON|
January 2nd, 1881.
(Reported by John Irvine,)
THE GOSPEL, — A PRACTICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE RELIGION, AND THE
MEANS OF ETERNAL EXALTATION.
I can endorse heartily the remarks
that have been made to us by
Brother John L. Smith, an old ac-
quaintance whom I am pleased to
see. I feel gratified to know that
he is still laboring for Israel, that
his heart is in the right place, and
that his desires are, as they always
have been so far as I have been .ac-
quainted with him, to serve God, to
keep his commandments, and teach
men so.
When Jesus was on the earth he
said, " Whosoever therefore shall
break one of these least command-
ments, and shall teach men so, he
shall be called least in the kingdom
of heaven : but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of hea-
ven." I believe it is the object and
desirt of all our brethren who are
called to occupy responsible posi-
tions in the midst of the people to
carry out this saying of Jesus —
that is, to keep his commandments
themselves and to teach others to
do the same. This desire, at any
rate, should animate every one who
is called to be a servant of God. It
is not enough to believe in the Gos-
pel ; it is not enough to have faith
in the work that God Almighty has
commenced on the earth ; it is not
enough to have a testimony that
Joseph Smith was a prophet of God,
that angels have come from heaven,
restored the Gospel and brought
back the ancient priesthood, that
God has commenced the great lat-
ter-day work spoken of by all the
ancient prophets and that we are
called to assist in that work — a mere
testimony that this is the case is not
enough. We are called to be workers
of righteousness. And we are not
only called to do what is right, but
also to aid in establishing righteous-:
ness on the earth by teaching othersf
to follow our example.
The religion which we have re-
ceived is a practical religion. It
offers something for us to do all the
time. There is no need for us at
any time to stand still, we are called
to be active workers in the cause of
God. Every man and every woman
who has received the Gospel and
been baptized into the Church is
expected to take an active part in
this mojisi ; not to leave it to those
who are called upon to preside in
the various wards and stakes and
over the Church of God, but each
one of us has an individual interest
in this Church (or ought to have)
35^
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSBS.
and should manifest it by a desire
to do something that the work of
our Grod may roll forward in the
earth.
We have had made plain to our
understanding some few of the first
principles of salvation, and these
nave been made clear to our minds
^ot merely as objects of faith, but
as something for us to lay hold of, as
a guide to our feet, as a light to our
path, and as an mcentive to action.
We are called to be Saints not only
in the Assembly Hall, or in the
Tabernacle, or in the place of prayer,
but in every condition of life, and to
bring into practice those things that
God has made known to us to influ-
ence us in all that we do, that we
might be a different people from
the great mass of mankind, striving
after the condition of sainthood —
that is, to become holy in the Lord,
to be sanctified in all our being to
the service of the Almighty and the
establishment of his kingdom and
government on the earth. That is
what we are here for, in these val-
leys of the mountains.
There is an idea in the world con-
cerning religious affairs that they
are mere matters of sentiment,
something to think about, some-
thing to pray about, something
to sing about, something to exalt
the feelings. This is all very good
80 far as it goes, but it is only a
small part of religion. Seligion is
not a mere matter of emotion or of
sentiment, or of feeling. True re-
ligion is something to guide us, to
make us better, to teach us in every
respect. True religion will teach us
how to use properly every power
with which our great Creator has
endowed us. True religion not only
affects the spiritual part of our
being, the internal part of man or
woman, but affects the whole na-
ture, spiritual, mental and physical.
It comes here on the earth and is
fitted to our condition where we live
and while we live. It is adapted to
us to-day. It not only unfolds to ua
something of the future and elevates
that standard of beauty and perfec
tion before us, that we expect some
time to arrive at, but it unfolds to us
our duty to-day and tells us how to
act in every movement of our lives
and in every condition in which we
may be situated ; in fact, there is no
p!ace that we may be called upon
to occupy, or in which we may find
ourselves, where our religion ought
not to influence us in what we
should do. Not only does our reli-
gion come to us to influence us in
our acts, in our bodies as well as our
spirits, but it also comes to us to di-
rect us in our thoughts, that we may
be able to turn our minds in the pro-
per channel, so that we may think
good thoughts and not evil, that we
may have good desires and not evil;
and that we may become so sanc-
tified in our natures that the spirit
and influence which comes durect
from God our Heavenly Father, who
dwells in the bosom of eternity, may
descend into our souls and have free
and uninteiTupted access thereto^
and that we may become Saints, in-
dividually and collectively, a royal
generation, a peculiar people, zealous
of good works. This is the kind of
religion we have received.
When we heard the Gospel and
believed in Christ and in God the
Father, and went forth repenting of
our sins and were baptized for the
remission of sins, and received the
Holy Ghost by the laying on of
hands, this was the be^nning of our
religion, these were the preliminarf
steps in the path that leads to the
presence of God. When we caaoe
into the Church, having put off Hba
old man with his deeds, we were
supposed to have put'' on Christy- to '
THE GOSPEL, — A PRACTICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE RELIGION, ETC. . 353
pattern after him in all our acts, to
seek for his spirit, to be guided by
his example, so that by and by we
might become as he is and fit to
stand where he stands — ^in the pre-
sence of God, and abide there. Some
people who are in the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
as well as some people outside the
church, have an idea that salvation
consists in belonging to a certain
sect or party or in having a certain
condition of mind. They do not
grasp the idea that exaltation is only
brought about through a natural
process — the putting away of that
which is evil and laying hold of that
which is good ; the putting away of
that which is wrong and taking hold
of that which is right : departing
from the ways of the world and
walking in the ways of God. We
need to understand this fully and
clearly, my brethren and . sisters.
You and I will not be saved in the
presence of God with an exaltation
like that which is held out to us
simply because we are called Latter-
day Saints, or because we have
complied with a certain form of re-
ligion, or even because we have gone
into sacred places and received holy
ordinances whereby we might be
washed and cleansed and made
anew and anointed unto righteous-
ness. We shall not be brought up
into the presence of our Father to
abide there and participate in his
glory simply because of these things.
If we ever get tliere to stay, it will
be because we are fitted to be there,
because we are prepared to abide his
glory, to stand in his presence and
rejoice with him and aid him in his
glorious works in the midst of the
universe. We will stay there be-
cause we are like him and fit to be
where he is. If it is found that
we are not like him, that we are
not of his spirit, not actuated by the
No. 23.
same motives that snimate bis
bosom, not governed by the same
laws, we shall not be able to abide
his presence and cannot stay there.
If we do stay there, it will be because
we are fit to be there in the nature
of things because natures corres-
pond with his, our spirits harmo-
nizing with his, our acts being con-
trolled by the same motives and
governed by the same laws as those
by wliich he governs himself, and
not merely because we have adopted
a certain creed, not merely because
we have bowed to a certain form,
not merely because we have sub-
mitted to certain ordinances and
ceremonies.
All these ordinances and ceremo-
nies instituted by the Almighty and
comprehended in that which is
called the Gospel are necessary.
There is no such thing as non-essen-
tial ordinances ; every one of them
is essential. Exaltation cannot be
arrived at without them. But exal-
tation does not consist of the mere
compliance to certain forms aod
ceremonies that the Almighty has
instituted and placed in his Church.
There is something more required,
something superior to all this. What
is it] It is the spirit that comes
from our Father to dictate us in.
every act, to make us righteous and
holy unto the Lord, and to sanctify
us and bring us into complete sub-
jection to and harmony with the
laws that govern the celestial king-
dom. There is no real happiness
either in this world or the world to
come except through obedience ta
proper law. That is the only way
that happiness can be obtained. We
ought to understand this and teach
it to our children. There is a spirit
growing in the world which leads
mankind to throw off restraint, to
Cast aside law.s . and regulations,
yhich leads people to bjecome "ala^Rr
Vol. XXL
354
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSKS.
unto themselves." This is the teach-
ing oF " spiritualism," that peeping
and muttering system. The ex-
pounders of that faith — if it may
be callled a faith — teach the doctrine
of mankind becoming a law unto
themselves — no forms, no ceremo-
nies, no regulations — each one in-
dependent for himsetf and herself.
Now, while we sing sometimes
** Know this that every soul is free,
To choose his life and what he'll be ;"
and while we acknowledge,
" For this eternal truth is jfiven.
That God will force no man to hearen.''
Yet on the other hand, we recog-
nize the fact that there is a law
given to all things in the economy
of God in the heavens above knd in
the earth beneath. " All kingdoms
have a law given." So we are told
heje in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. We learn from that
Book that, " there are many king-
doms ; for there is no space in which
there is no kingdom ; and there is
no kingdom in which there is no
space, either a greater or lesser king-
<lom. And unto every kingdom is
given a law ; and unto every law
there are certain bounds also and
conditions." Every kingdom that
is governed by law is preserved
iby law and sanctified by the same,
no matter in what part of the
nini verse it may be, and those
^who abide the laws of that king-
«doiD and that condition in which
•they find themselves, gain happiness
4tnd are preserved and sanctified
Oind become exalted thereby. Now,
although these laws are given of
•God, they do not interfere with the
^volition .of man. Every man has
'his free agency. Light and truth
■are placed before us, truth and error
Aftre here, and we can choose the one
4ind refuse the other, or refuse the
•one.andi^hoose the other, just as it
was with our first parents in the
garden of Eden. The history of the
fall is placed before us that we might
understand this great principle of
agency ; the tree of life and the
tree of death, the tree of light and
the tree of darkness. The Lord has
said to us in substance, "I have
placed before you truth and error,
choose which you will receive. You
can receive the light or the darkness,
you can receive the truth or the
error as you please ; but by and by
you must give an account of your
acts." We find ourselves here on
this planet that God has created for
us, a branch of his great family, and
he has given us certain principles to
govern ourselves by. He does not
force them upon us. Grod will force
no man to heaven or to hell ; but if
we choose we can lay hold of these
principles and be governed thereby,
and by doing that we will be im-
proved in our nature in proportion
to our reception of light and truth,
and exaltation will come to us on
this principle and no other.
This spirit of so-called indepen-
dence, or "liberty," as some per-
sons misuse the term, is spreading
throughout the world. It has its
influence among us. There is to a
certain extent in our midst a desire
and disposition to throw off the re-
straint that comes from the heads of
families, the influence that parents
exercise over children, to rebel
against the laws of the community
in whioh we live, to resist the re-
striction that comes from the laws
of the land, and from the laws of
the Church — the laws of God. This
spirit exists to a great extent in the
world, and is bound to have more or
less effect upon us here in the moun-
tains, because, although we are in
some degree separated from the
world, yet we are also connected
with the world, and must expect,
THE GOSPEL, — ^A PRACTICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE RELIGION, ETC. 355
as a part of the human family, that
some among us will be more or
less affected by this spirit. Now,
we ought to get this idea clearly
upon our minds and upon the minds
of our children. We ought to un-
derstand the necessity of yielding
obedience to proper laws. We ought
to learn to understand the laws that
pertain to our bodies so that they
may be kept healthy. And we
should become fully acquainted with
the laws that govern our Church.
Every principle that God has re-
vealed should be clear to our minds,
and in order to understand them we
should read the books given to us,
the Bible, the Book of Mormon,
and the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. These ought to direct
us in our every day lives. Then
when we come to meeting and
hear our brethren speak the word
of the Lord, we should try to
treasure up in our hearts the words
of life, put them into practice, and
also teach the same to our children ;
for it is on this principle that we
will become prepared to go into
the presence of OtoA by and by,
and not merely because we are
called Saints, not merely because
we have been ordained to some office
in the priesthood, not merely be-
cause we may have been put into
some position to preside or direct
our fellows. This will not exalt us,
but the practice of what is right and
true will exalt us. In fact every
person in doing what is good and
right is naturally bettered thereby,
and every individual in doing what
is evil is degraded thereby. AH our
acts are known by the powers on
high whom we cannot see. They
understand us, although we may
think no one sees what we do. Yet
though no one should see us, if no
one but ourselves knows our acts,
if we do what is evil and debasing
we are that much the worse for it ;
if we do that which is right and
good we are that much the better
for it. And if we practice right-
eousness and teach men, so we will
bocome great in the kingdom of
heaven on natural principles.
We should all Hve according to
the laws of God, to the best of our
ability — although we are beset with
many weaknesses and infirmities
and faults, many of which have
been transmitted to us from our
forefathers away back for a^es and
are concentrated in us , who live in
the latter-days. But so far as we
have power and ability, we are re-
quired to battle with and overcome
our inherent failings, a,nd if we take
hold of the principles of righteous-
ness, in the very act of doing that
we aire bettered, and if we continue
in this path we will go on from grace
to grace, from light to light, from
purity to purity, from holiness to
holiness, ^Hill we all come in the
unity of the faith, and oi the know-
ledge of the Son of God, unto a
peifect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fulness of Christ."
We must be clothed with his lights
and be filled with his fullness, and
be fit to stand in his presence and
dwell with the Father. And this
is the promise: '^To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with
me in my throne, even as I over-
came, and am set down with my
Father in his throne." There is no
need for us at any time to be in the
dark concerning our duties. We
need not be in the dark concerning
any act we desire to perform, if we
will go to the Father and say, " Fa-
ther, make thy will known to me.
Enable me to walk in thy light to
do that which is pleasing to thee ;
enable me to overcome all that is
contrary to thy law." If we live in
this kind of spirit, there will always
356
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
be a voice wlnspering in our souls
telling us that which is right and
wrong, and our progress will be on-
ward and upward in the straight
and narrow path that leadeth unto
the eternal continuation of» the
lives.
Now, by and by, when we come
into the presence of God to be
judged we will be valued -for what
we are, not for what men have called
us, not for what we have appeared
to be. to one another, but we will
stand just as we are, with all of our
spots and blemishes. If we are clean
and white and pure when we appear
in the presence- of our Heavenly
Father, and in the presence of the
hosts around him, we shall be seen
as such ; if we are foul and evil, no
matter how fair we . have appeared
to men, we will be comprehended
as we are, we will *' see as we are
seen and known as we are known."
We shall not be able to hide our im-
perfections from one another. We
fihall be weighed in the balance, and
if we are found wanting we cannot
receive a fullness of glory. But,
says some one, I have had certain
blessings . pronounced upon my
head , I have been promised an
exaltation in the presence of God ;
I have been promised thrones, prin-
cipalities, powers and dominions,
and are not the promises of God to
be fulfilled 1 Yes ; but every pro-
mise is made on certain conditions,
and unless we comply with these
conditions God cannot, in consonance
with eternal justice, bestow. those
blessings upon us, no matter what
may have been promised upon our
heads. We are told that those who
will not sanctify themselves by the
law of the celestial kingdom can-
not receive a celestial glory; Now,
wlifit glory will you and I have?
Just exactly that glory we are fitted
to iiave and no other. This is
only just, and God must be just or
he would cease to be God. Yet God
will force no man or woman to keep
the law of light and truth; but
unless we live the laws of right-
eousness and obey the law of the
celestial kingdom we cannot in the
nature of things receive and abide a
celestial glory. Then our chief busi-
ness is to find out the law of God,
and do that which is right and true
and good. We should watch weU
the path of our feet and avoid every-
thing that is evil ; for that which is
evil naturally contaminates and de-
bases, and that which is good natu-
rally purifies and exalts. We should
all the time strive for the guidance
of the Holy Spirit that we may be
in harmony with those who are
placed over us, and that we may
train our desires and our acts so a&
to be in consonance with the mind
and will of God.
Now, the Lord has made known
to us a few things. We should make
it our business to carry these things
out, and we shall find the value of
them by and by if we do not sense
them to-day ; for as I said just now
when we are in the act of perform-
ing that which is right we become
purified in our character, and more
fit to abide the glory of our Father,
while the less we do what is right
the further we will be away from
that purity which is necessary for
dwelling in his presence. We ex-
pect to gain a celestial glory. That
is what you and I^started out to win.
We are not satisfied, as our sectarian
friends are, to sing :
** I want to be an angel.
And with the angels stand. "
That is not what you and I are aim-
ing at. W^e are after a glory superior
to that. We read that the Saints
shall .judge the Jjingels, AVho are the
angek ? They are ministering spirits
I to those that are worthy of "a iar
THE GOSPEL, — A PRACTICAL AND COMPKEHENSIVE RELIGION, ETC. 357
more and exceedins: and eternal
weight of glory." That is what you
and I have started out to gain, to
obtain a celestial glory, to obtain a
celestial crown, and we shall be
satisfied with nothing else than that.
How shall we obtain it 1 We shall
obtain it in no other way than by
abiding the laws that pertain to the
celestial kingdom. Let us, then,
find out the laws of the celestial
kingdom as fast as we can and prac-
tice them, and if we make this the
l)usiness of our lives we will find the
Lord very near to us, we will find it
easy to approach him and learn of
his ways. We can have the still
small voice to make glad our souls
and open out our understandings.
We should live in this spirit, my
brethren and sisters, so that we may
enjoy happiness and peace to-day as
well as the prospect of having eter-
nal happiness and peace in the world
to come.
I pray God, in the name of Jesus
Christ, to stamp these truths upon
our hearts, so that we may be able
to order our lives by the laws of
truth and righteousness, individually
and as a people ; that we may live
for the Lord and for the truth, and
for one another — not for selfish
-objects, but for the glory of God
and the salvation of our race.
I feel thankful this afternoon to
be in the congregation of the Saints,
to be numbered among the people
of the Most High God, and to take
part in the religion that God
Almighty lias revealed in tlii.-s dny
and age of tiie world. I know
this is the work of God. I know
this by the witness of the eternal
spirit in my soul. I know the
peace it brings when I act in con-
sono,nce with its laws. My desire
is to live as becomes a Saint of
God ; to live as a servant of the
Most High ; to incorporate in my
being the principles that will make
men and women holy and pure, for
I know that . they make men and
women great. I desire to live tliese
principles, and as far as I have ability
to teach them to others, for I know
that in them is joy and happiness,
power and might — power to the
spirit and might to the body. The
power of God belongs to and is with
this Church. It enters into our
whole being, spiritual and physical.
This work is good for the body and
for the soul, and if we live according
to the dictations of the Holy Spirit,
we will be happier, stronger and
mightier in all our being, and when
we come up in the presence of the
Father, having been purified and
our robes made white through the
blood of the Lamb and our faith-
fulness to the cause of truth, we will
be able to abide the presence of the
Great Eternal without shame.
May the blessing of God rest upon
us, and may we be saved in the
celestial kingdom of our Father, is
my prayer in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
358
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
DISCOUESE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Paris, Bear Lake, Sunday Morning, August 8th, 1880,
(Reported hy Geo. F. Gibhe.)
THE order and DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
[It will be perceived that it is a
long time since this discourse was
delivered, and at a time when the
Twelve Apostles were acting as First
Presidency of the Church.]
I arise this morning to make a
few remarks to you as I may be led
and dictated by the Spirit of God.
I am sorry that we have not more
time to spend with you, but having
a conference to attend at Manti,
Sanpete, on next Saturday and Sun-
day, which is quite a long way from
here, and in the meantime having
business to attend to at home, we
shall be obliged, in order to make
connections with the train at Logan,
to leave this place at the close of
this meeting. I should, and so
would my brethren with me, have
been very much pleased to have
visited you at your several settle-
ments, but owing to these circum-
stances it will be impracticable to
do so.
There are a few items to which I
wish to call your attention. Yes-
terday we heard a very interesting
discourse from Brother Snow in
which he compared the climate, etc.,
of your valley with that of Soutliern
Utah ; and the remarks made will
doubtless have the effect to dispel a
good deal of the restlessness which
Ij understand many have manifested
because of the severity of your win-
ters. And I would further remark
in relation to these matters, that
this is the Zion of our God ; that
we are gathered here not for the
purpose of seeking to do our own
wills or to carry out our own de-
signs, our own ideas or theories ; but
to be subject to the law of God, to
the order of God and to the priest-
hood of God ; and that our greatest
safety and happiness, under all cir-
cumstances, is in rendering strict
obedience to His law, and to the
counsels that may be given from
time to time through the Holy
priesthood. We are to-day a king-
dom of priests holding to a very
great extent the holy priesthood;
and it is essential that we submit
ourselves to the laws of that priest-
hood and be governed by them in
all of our actions. The Seventies,
for instance — that is, those who
understand themselves — expect to
be on hand at any time to go to all
the world and preach the Gospel to
every creature, That would be no
more than their duty, which is in
keeping with the command of God
to them. And as to whether they
live in hot or cold countries is really
a matter of very little importance:
THE ORDER AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
359
to them, their calling being to preach
the Gospel to every creature the
world over. Then the High Priests
have certain duties to perform, and
if they are in an organized condi-
tion, as the people of this Stake are,
for instance, their duties are to pre<
pare themselves for certain events
that may transpire and to be learn-
ing to preside. For the duties of
the Melchisedek or High Priesthood
have been in all ages of the world
to preside. So says the Doctrine
and Covenants, extracts from which
I may read to you. But it is not
because a man is a High Priest that
he should necessarily preside until
he is called to fulfil some of the
duties and responsibilities devolving
upon that Priesthood. And it is
the duty of a President of the High
Priests to get the members of his
quorum under him together and to
instruct them as to the duties of the
presidency, so that in the event of
any baing called, say, to occupy the
office of one of the Twelve Apostles
who are High Priests, they would be
prepared to enter upon such duty ;
or that in case they should be called
to preside over a Stake, they would
be prepared to enter upon the duties
of that office ; or if they should be
called to be Counselors to the Presi-
dent of the Stake, they could act
wisely and efficiently iu that position ;
or if they should be called upon to
be High Counselors, they would
know how to act righteously and
equitably in all cases, that ihey
might be called upon to adjudi-
cate. And then if they should
be called to be Bishops or Bishop's
Counselors, as the case may be,
they should be prepared to occupy
these or any other offices that they
mijjht be called to officiate in.
High Priests have those duties
devolving upon them just as much
as it devolves upon the ' Seventies
to go to the nations to preach, and
there is no such thing in the pro- ^
gramme as sitting and ** singing
ourselves away to everlasting bliss.
or, if we are called to fill an office we
should not feel at liberty to neglect '
its responsibilities and sit down and
do nothing. The idea is that we are
to magnify our office and calling, no
matter what its duties may be.
Then, there are certain duties .
devolving upon the Bishops, and
also upon the Presidents of Stakes.
And, then, the Twelve, wherever
they may be located, have also their
particular duties, and especially is
this the case in the present organi-
zation of the Church; the Twelve
occupying the position of the First
Presidency. I wish, for your infor-
mation, to offer some few ideas on
some of these leading points that
you may understand something of
the nature of the duties and respon-
sibilities that devolve upon us to
attend to.
It is not correct to suppose that
the whole duty of carrying this king-
dom devolves upon the Twelve or
the First Presidencv, as the case
may be, or upon the Presidents of
the Stakes, or upon the High
Priests, or upon the Seventies, or
upon the Bishops, or upon any other
officer in the Church and Kingdom
of God ; that to the contrary, all of
us have our several duties to per-
form. And I may go farther in re-
gard to the duties of men, and also
in regard to those of women, all
have their duties to perform before
God. The organization of this
Ciiurch and Kingdom is for the
express purpose of putting every
man in his place, and it is then
expected that evc^y man in that
place will magnify his office and
calling. For through the ordinances
of the Gospel and the operations
of the priesthood the blessings of
sfe'o*
JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.
God are manifested, and without the
ordinances we cannot enjoy the ful-
ness of these blessings among us,
Latter-day Saints, nor could the
Saints in any age of the world
among any people that ever ex-
isted.
We are of the household of faith,
the children of God. We are gath-
ered together for the express pur-
pose of being taught in the laws of
life, so that we may comprehend the
position that we occupy, and the du-
ties and responsibilities which de-
volve upon us. And as I have before
stated, we are not here simply to
carry out our own designs or to suit
our o^vii feelings or wishes, or to
aggrandize ourselves. Beyond this
earth as it now is, beyond time, in
the eternities tliat are to come we
have a work to perform and we have
to prepare in part for it while we are
upon this earth ; and God has called
us together for this purpose. The
whole world is wallowing in iniquity,
corruption, wickedness and evil ;
and it is for us, in the first place, to
rid ourselves of eveiy thing of that
kind, and to feel that we are the
children of God, that He is our
Father, and that we are under His
law, and that we have to be subject
to His commands ; and tliat He has
ordained and organized and set
apart a Priesthood for this purpose.
And what is that Priesthood ? It is
the rule and government of God;
whether on the earth or in the
heavens ; and is the means by which
Crod has operated in all the ages of
the world. There is an order in
this, every man in his place, the
Pirst Presidency, or Twelve, as the
case may be, in their place, the
Presidents of Stakes in their places,
the High Council in their places,
the High Priesthood in their place,
the Seventies in their place, the
Elders in their place, the Presiding
Bishop, with his Counselors, in his
place, and the other Bishops in their
place, and the Priests, Teachers and
Deacons in their place, and every
one feeling that they are the servants
of the living God, and that they are
clothed upon with the Holy Priest-
hood, and that they have a duty to
perform in His kingdom — that they
stand ready, at all times, to carry
out anything that God may dictate
through His regularly constituted
authority in regard to themselves,
their families, their neighborhoods
wherein they live, or in the Church
or the world, that 1:heir duty is to
spread the Gospel to the ends of
the earth, to gather the people, to
build temples, and to accomplish
anything and everything that God
requires, and that when we have
built temples it is *our duty to ad-
minister in them, that we may be
the children of God, saviors upon
Mount Zion, and be the blessed of
the Lord of Hosts and our offspring
with us. This is the position we
occupy here upon the earth.
Now, I will read to you from the
Doctrine and Covenants. In speak-
ing of Priesthood we are told that,
"There remains hereafter, in the
due time of the Lord, other Bishops
to be set apart, m the Church, to
minister even according to the first.
Wherefore they shall be High
Priests who are v/orthy, and they
shall be appointed by the First
Presidency of the Melchi^edek
Priesthood, except they be literal
descendants of Aaron. If they be
the literal descendants of Aaron
they have a legal right to the
Bishopric, if they are the first-born
among the sons of Aaron ; for the
firstborn holds tlie right of the
Presidency over this Priesthood and
the keys and the authority of the
same.
I " Ko man has a legal right to this
THE ORDER AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
36i
office, to hold the keys of this Priest-
hood, except he is a literal descend-
ant of Aaron.
" But as a High Priest of the Mel-
chisedek Priesthood has authority to
officiate iu all the lesser offices, he
may officiate in the office of a Bishop
when no literal descendant of Aaron
can be found, provided he is called
and set apart and ordained unto
this power by the hands of the
Presitlency of the Melchisedek
Priesthood.
**And a literal descendant of
Aaron also must be designated by
this Presidency and found worthy,
and appointed and ordained under
the hands of this Presidency ; other-
wise, they are not legally authorized
to officiate in their Priesthood."
" But by virtue of the decree
concerning their right to the Priest-
hood descending from father to son,
they may claim their appointment
if at any time they can prove their
lineage or ascertain it by revelation
from the Lord, under the hands of
the above named Presidency."
Tins is speaking more particularly
in regard to the Bishops. I have
not time, to-day, to enter into many
details pertaining to this ; but will
simply draw your attention to one
point, which is this : If we had
among us a literal descendant of
Aaron, who was the firstborn, he
would have a right to the keys, or
presiding authority of the Bishopric.
But then he would have to be set
apart and directed by the First Pre-
sidency, no matter what his or their
claims might be, or how clear their
proofs. The same would have to be
acknowledged by the First Presi-
dency. These claims of descent
from Aaron would have to be acknow-
leded by the First Presidency, and,
further, the claimant would have to
he set apart to his Bishopric by
them, the same as in the case of a
High Priest of the Melchisedek
Priesthood called to fill the same
office. Thus, in either case, as a
literal descendant of Aaron, or as a
High Priest, the rignt to officiate is
held first by authority of the Priest-
hood, and by appointment and ordi-
nation as above stated.
And, then, here is another thing
I desire briefly to mention. A Bish-
op of this kind, holding the keys of
tliis Priestliood, must be set apart
by the First Presidency, and, should
occasion arise, must also be tried by
the First Presidency. This, how-
ever, does not apply to all Bishops,
for there are a variety of Bishops, as
for instance Bishop Partridge, who
presided over the Land of Zion, and
whose dut}' was to purchase land
and divide it among the people, as
their inheritances, and to take
charge of the temporal affairs of the
Church, not only in Zion but
throughout all the western country,
and also to sit as a common judge in
Israel, and to preside in tlie capacity
of Bishop, not to act as Prasident
over a district of country that. was
then called Zion, but as a general
Bishop. George Miller was after-
ward appointed to the same Bishop-
ric. Newel K. Whitney was ap-
pointed also as a general Bishop,
and presided over Kirtland and all
the churches in the eastern country.
The calling of these men, you will
perceive, was very different from
that of a Bis-hop over one of the
Wards of a Stake, for he can only
preside over his own Ward ; outside
of that he has no jurisdiction.
While the calling of the former was
general, that of the latter is local.
And there were Bishops* agents
appointed formerl}'. There was
Sidney Gilbert ; he was a Bishop's
agent appointed to assist Bishop
Partridge in his duties ; and Bishop
Whitney also had his assistants or
362
JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES.
agents to assist him in his admin-
istrations, the one presiding as
Bishop over the affairs of the
Church in the west, the other pre-
siding over the affairs of the Church
in the east. But neither of them
was presiding Bishop of the Church
at that time. But you will find
that afterwards George Miller was
appointed to the same Bishopric
that Edward Partridge held ; and
that Vinson Knight was appointed
to the Presidency over the Bishop-
ric, with Samuel H. Smith and
Shadrach Roundy as his counselors.
I speak of these things to throw
out some general ideas ; and you
will have to examine the Doctrine
and Covenants for yourselves, and
this will give to you the key how to
arrive at the truth in relation to
these principles.
Now, these general Bishops had
to be appointed by the First Presi-
dency ; they had to be tried by the
First Presidency as well as the Pre-
siding Bishop, because they were
general Bishops, and were appointed
by the First Presidency. But Stake
Bishops stand in another capacity.
They have a presidency over them,
and although it is proper for them
(the Stake Presidency) to consult
with the First Presidency of the
Church, yet they preside over them,
as well as over the affairs of their
Stake. There is one thing associated
with this matter that I will mention
here, which is this. While you have
a High Council in your Stake, and a
presidency of your Stake, you also
have Brother Charles C. Rich resid-
ing here, who is one of the First
Council of the Church. And if I
were a President of this Stake I
should always confer with him about
any matters of importance pertaining
to the interests of the Church in
the Stake over which I presided.
Because tiie Twelve new hold the
right of Presidency ; and as he
is one of the Twelve, it would be
proper, and, indeed, I should con-
sider it quite a privilege, if I was a
president here, to apply to him for
council in all matters pertaining to
the interests of the Stake.
Now, I speak of this for your in-
formation, and by so doing you will
avoid a great deal of trouble that you
might otherwise fall into. Because
Brother Rich is not only an Apostle,
but you, in connection with the
other Stakes, have voted for him as
one of the First Presidency, and
therefore he would be the proper
person to counsel in any matters of
that kind. And, then, if there
should be anything not exactly clear
to liim, it would be his privilege to
apply to his quorum to obtain their
mind in regard to it ; and when this
course is adopted everything moves
on harmoniously. Now, for instance,
here is Brother Erastus Snow, he
and Brother Brigham Young, under
the counsel and direction of the First
Presidency, will shortly take a mis-
sion into the southern' portions of the
Church, in Colorado iind Arizona,
and, perhaps, in New Mexico, to
look after the interests of the com-
munity there. Over the settlements
throughout those regions of country
there are Presidents, and these Pre-
sidents preside over Stakes where
Stakes are organized. Brother Snow
informs me there are two Stakes.
He and Brother Brigham go clothed
upon with the authority of the First
Presidency to regulate, to set in
order, and counsel in all mattera
pertaining to the interests of that
people. Wherever they may go, no-
matter who presides, we should
expect them to regard their coun-^
sel, and to be governed by them
in all of their acts. Because the
Twelve cannot go everywhere as a
body, and the interests of the'
THE ORDER AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
36a
Church are being extended, and we
are growing larger all the time ; and
Zion will continue to srow until the
kingdoms of this wond will become
the kingdoms of our God and his
Christ, and that as a matter of course
means that if this is the kingdom of
God and the Priesthood is the repre-
sentation of that kingdom, the pro-
per authorities of the holy Priest-
hood, wherever they go to represent
the Priesthood, must be respected
in their position ; and as these
brethren represent the First Pre-
sidency where they are going, they
must be respected and their counsels
adhered to as such.
Now if that would be proper for
Brother Snow and Brother Brigham,
it would also be proper for Brotlier
Rich, for they all hold the same au-
thority ; and we expect them to
represent to us things as they are,
that we may be enabled to counsel
and direct — and they always do
counsel with us, and are glad to get
our counsel. On the other hand,
for instance, I am President of the
Twelve Apostles, and by that means
President of the Church at present.
Well, say that Brother Rich or any
member of the Quorum of the
Twelve comes along, having some-
thing to offer or lay before the Coun-
cil, I would say, such a man is an
Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and I have a right to listen to his
counsel or to whatever he has got
to say, and at the same time pay due
deference to it. For 1 am glad to
have the counsel of my brethren,
and they are always pleased to re-
ceive mine. That is the kind of
feeling existing among us, and this
same feeling should exist every-
where throughout the whole Church.
It is not for a member of the High
Council to say, "I am one of the
prominent men, and I am going to
show you how things are done here;
and furthermore, I have my own
ideas about things, and am going to
try to carry them out." It M'ill not
do for a president to say that ; but
it would be more in accordance with
our calling for us to say, " God,
thou art our Father, and we are thy
children. We are engaged in thy
service ; wilt thou, Lord, show unto
us thy will, that we may do it ? "
Not our own will ; we do not want
to do our will nor carry out our pur-
poses, nor do anything for our per-
sonal aggrandizement, nor for that
of our friends or anybody else ; but
to do that which is right and just
and equitable before God and the
holy angels and all honorable men.
And then when we have done that,
we do not ask any odds of the tur-
bulent or dissatisfied, who are crying,
good Lord and good devil, not know-
ing whose hands they may fall into.
We do not care about their ideas;
but we do care about having the*
smiles and approbation of our Hea-
venly Father aud of all good men.
su that when we get through and are
called upon for an account of our
stewardship, we may say, God,
we have done, so far as thou hast
given us ability, the work thou hast
placed in our hands. And then every
member of the priesthood ought to
feel just the same ; not like some
of our unruly horses when they get
the bits in their mouths and run
off, because they make a good deal
of trouble for themselves and other-
people too. We should ever seek to
operate together and be one accord-
ing to the Taws of the Holy Priest-
hood.
1 now want to show something
about this Priesthood, and will again,
read : " As a High Priest of the
Melchisedek Priesthood has authority
to oflBiciate in all the lesser offices, ho-
may officiate in the office of Bishop
where no literal descendant of Aaron
364
JOURNAL OF nsCOUKSKS.
<5au be found, provided he is called
and set apart aud ordained unto this
power by the hands of the pret-i-
dency of the Melchisedek priest-
hood." There is where it comes in,
and this applies primarily to the
presiding Bishop ; but I would say
that it applies in a more extended
view to High Priests who are ordained
and set apart as Bishops, in the seve-
xal Stakes of Zion, and who thus
come under the supervision of those
presidents of Stakes, and stand in
the same relationship to them that
the First Bishops did to the First
Presidency of the Church. The
First Presidenjcy at that time presided
over the Stake in Kirtland, over the
High Council, over the Bishops and
over ail the organization* of the
Stake, and were really the presi-
dents of that Stake. But it will be
seen that while they were presidents
of the Stake and occupied the same
position that presidents now do over
the Stakes, they were at the same
time presidents of the Church in
all the world, whilst the authority
of our present presidents of Stakes
is confined to the limits of their
several Stakes. And thus there is
perfect order in all these things in
relation to these matters.
I again quote : " There are in the
Church two Priesthoods, namely,
the Melchisedek and Aaronic, in-
cluding the Levitical Priesthood."
Now 1 will make a statement or two
about this. What is the Levitical'
Priesthood ] There were in the days
of Moses a tribe of the children of
Israel set apart to officiate in some
of the lesser duties of the Aaronic
Priesthood, and their office was
called the Levitical Priesthood. You
High Priests, you Seventies and
Bishops can examine these things
$rom your Bible, and what the Bible
does not tell you the Book of Cove-
nants' will, and you ought to be ac-
quainted with this matter, it is j'our
duty to investigate these thing.s, to
searcli in the reconls, to examine the
revelations of God and make your-
selves acquainted with principle, and
laws, and governments, and all
things calculated to promote the
welfare of humanity.
"The office of an Elder comes
under the Priesthood of Melchisedek.
The Melchisedek Priesthood holds
the right of presidency, and has
power and authority over all the
offices in the Church in all ages of
the world, to administer iii spiritual
things."
"Well," say you, "I thought
that ; that has been my idea, the
Bishops should have all the temporal
things to attend to." We will read a
little further. It is by taking up
little odd texts that mistakes are
often made and incorrect ideas
conveyed. W^e must take the whole
thing to ascertain what is intended,
and rightly divine the word of
truth.
"The Presidency of the High
Priesthood, after the order of Mel-
chisedek, have a right to officiate in
all the offices in the Church."
Now, will you show me an office,
or calling, or duty, or responsibility,
temporal or spiritual, that does not
come under this statement '? From
this I think this Presidency have
something to do with the Bishops
and temporal things as well as with
the Melchisedek Priesthood and
spiritual things, and with all things
pertaining to the interests and wel-
fare of Zion. That is the way I
understand these matters. I could
enter very elaborately into these
questions, but I do not purpose to *
do so, there not being time. But
this is the position they occupj''.
" High Priests, after the order of
the Melchisedek Priesthood, have a
right to officiate in their own stand.-
THE ORDER AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
365
ing, under the direction of the Pre-
sidency, in administering spiritual
things ; and also in the office
ot an Elder, Priest (of tlio Levi-
tical order) Teacher, Deacon and
memhor," etc.
This shows really, in as few words
as the matter could be conveyed to
your understanding, the way that
God has appointed for the governing
of those affairs in His Church and
Kingdom, without enteruig elabo-
rately into detail.
When we have a Stake organiza-
tion, as you have here, the Presi-
dency of the Stake presides over all
Bishops, High Councils, and all au-
thorities of the Stake. The several
Bishops preside over their respective
wards and manage their affairs, un-
der the direction of the Stake Presi-
dency, who in their office and calling
are responsible to the First Presi-
dency of the Church. The Bishops
are also under the direction of pre-
siding Bishop Hunter in all affairs
connected with the temporal in-
terests of the Cliurch. And Bishop
Hunter is under the direction of the
First Presidency, the Aaronic Priest-
hood being an appendage to the
*Melchisedek Priesthood. It is how-
ever, the special duty of the Aaronic
Priesthood to attend • to temporal
matters ; but then the First Presi-
dency presides over all Bishops, all
Presidents, all authorities, and lastly
God presides over all.
Now we are sometimes fond, that
is, some of us are, of talking about
our authority. It is a thing I care
very little about. I tell you what I
want to do if I can ; I want to know
the will of God so that I may do it;
and I do not want to dictate or
domineer or exercise arbitrary con-
trol. Then again, all men ought to
be under proper control to the Pre-
sidency and Priesthood ]jresi<ling
over then:. If I v/crc a JBishop I
should want to know what the Pre-
sident of my Stoke desired, and
I should confer with liim; and if
there was anything in which Bishop
Hunter was interested, I should
want to know his mind.
I will read a little further with
regard to this subject of priest-
hood :
" How long can rolling waters re-
main impure? What power shall
stay the heavens? As well might
man stretch forth his puny arm to
stop the Missouri river in its decreed
course, or to turn it up stream, as to
hinder the Almighty from pouring
down knowledge from heaven upon
tlie heads of the Latter-day Saints.
Behold there are many called, but
few are chosen. And why are
they not chosen? Because their
hearts are set so much upon
the things of this • Avorld, and
aspire to the honors of men."
Now, I wish you to take particu-
lar notice of this, you Elders, you
High Priests, you Seventies, and
you Priests, Teachers and Deacons,
and all men holding the Priesthood ;
** That they do not learn this one
lesson — that the rights of the Priest-
hood are inseparably connected with
the powers of heaven, and that the
powers of heaven cannot be con-
trolled nor handled only upon the
principles of righteousness ;'* and
not upon any other principle. And
when anybody steps aside from that
and acts upon a principle of unright-
eousness, the result will be as is
stated in the context, namely :
" Tliat they may be conferred upon
us, it is true ; but when we under-
take to cover our sins, or to gratify
our pride, onr vain ambition, or to
exercise control, or <lominion, or
compulsion, upon the f^:ou]5 of the
children of men, in any degree
of unrightcousncs^s, boliold the
heavens withdraw tliciufrolvcs ; the
366
JOURNAL 0¥ I)ISCX>URS]ES.
Spirit of the Lord is grieved ; and
when it is withdrawn, Amen to the
Priesthood, or authority of that
man." That is the result of wrong-
doing ; that is the result of pervert-
ing the authority that God has con-
ferred upon us to onr personal ends
and to gratify our own ambition.
" Behold ! ere he is aware, he is left
unto himself to kick against the
pricks, to persecute the Saints, and
to fight against God." Can they
thwart the purposes of God 1 No.
They are as harmless as babies.
He that sits in the heavens laughs
at them, and all men holding the
Priesthood of the Son of God.
care nothing about their fulmina-
tions and the efforts they make to
hinder the progress of truth in
the earth, for all they can do, we
know, will be overruled for our good.
They are going the downward road
that leads to death, and by and by
they will have their reward. We
would like to see it otherwise, but
we cannot, that is one of the things
they have to see to themselves ; it
belongs to us to be true to God and
to our Priesthood, andallwiilbewell
with us.
Again, we quote, " We have
learned by sad experience that it is
the nature and disposition of almost
all men, as soon as they get a little
authority, as they suppose, they will
immediately begin to exercise un-
righteous dominion. Hence many
are called, but few are chosen. No
power or influence can or ought to
be maintained by virtue of the
Priesthood only by persuasion, by
long suffering, by gentleness and
meekness and by love unfeigned ;
by kindness and pure knowledge,
which shall greatly enlarge the soul,
without hypocrisy, and without
guile, reproving betimes with sharp-
ness when moved upon by the Holy
Ghost, and then showing forth after-
wards an increase of love toward
him whom thou hast reproved, lest
he esteem thee to be his enemy, that
he ma^ know that thy faithfulness
is stronger than the cords of deatL
Let thy bowels also be full of charity
towards all men, and to the house-
hold of faith, and let virtue gariush
thy thoughts unceasingly ; then
shall thy confidence wax strong in
the presence of God, and the doc-
trine of the Priesthood shall distil
upon thy soul as the dews from hea-
ven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy
constant companion, and thy sceptre
an unchanging sceptre of right-
eousness and truth, and thy domin-
ion shall be an everlasting dominion,
and without compulsory means it
shall flow unto thee for ever and
ever."
What a beautiful state of things
God presents to us ! Shall we try
to live it 1 or shall we take our own
way and pursue our own course?
These things are beautiful when we
reflect upon theoL We all know
they are true, and they are principles
which recommend themselves to our
hearts. Let us try then and live
them.
There are other orders of the
Priesthood; we have Elders, and
they have their duties to perform,
which I do not propose to talk about
now. And we have our Priests,
Teachers and Deacons, all of whom
hold important positions, and all
should seek to magnify their calling.
And what should they do 1 I wUl
tell you a circumstance that took
place with me upwards of forty
years ago. I was living in Canada
at the time, and was a traveling
Elder. I presided over a number of
the churches in that district of coun-
try. A difficulty existed in a branch
of the church, and steps were taken
to have the matter brought before
me for settlement I thought very
THE ORDER AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
367
seriously about it, and thought it a
very iusiguificant affair. Because
we ought to soar above such things,
and walk on a higher plane, for we
are the children of God and should
be willing to suffer wrong rather
than do wrong ; to yield a good deal
to our brethren for the sake of peace
and quif;tness, and to secure and
promote good feelings among the
Saints. At that time I did not have
the experience I now have, and yet
I do not know that I could do any-
thing better than I did then. Before
going to the trial I bowed before
the Lord, anil sought wisdom from
him to conduct the affair aright, for
I had the welfare of the people at
heart. When we had assembled I
opened the meeting with prayer,
and then called upon a number of
those present to pray ; they did so,
and the Spirit of God rested upon us.
I could perceive that a good feeling
existed in the hearts of those who
had come to present their grievances,
and 1 told them to bring forward
their case. But they said they had
not anything to bring forward. The
feelings and spirit they had been in
possession of had left them, the
Spirit of God had obliterated these
feelings out of their hearts, and they
knew it was right for them to for-
give one another.
You Priests, Teachers and Dea-
cons, seek unto the Lord, and he will
bless you. And you, my brethren,
when the Teachers visit you, do not
think that you are High Priests and
that they are only Teachers hardly
worthy of your attention. They are
your Teachers, and you should re-
verence them. And if you expect to
be honored in your calling, you must
honor them in theirs. When the
Teachers come to visit me I am
pleased to see them ; and I call to-
gether the members of my family
that may be in the house at the
time, to hear what they have to
say to us. And I tell them to talk
freely and plainly to us, to myself,
my wives and children ; in other
words, to do their duty as Teachers,
and then I will help them to carry
out their instructions. This is how
I feel towards our Teachers. The
eye cannot say to the ear, we have
no need of thee ; neither the head to
the feet, I have no need of thee, for
if one of the members suffer all the
other members suffer with it ; and
if one member rejoice, all the other
members partake of the same feel-
ing. Consequently I feel in duty
bound to attend to these things.
We have here our Relief Societies,
and they have done a good work.
And people are desirous to know
something of these organizations.
I was in Nauvoo at the time the
Relief Society was organized by the
Prophet Joseph Smith, and I was
present on the occasion. At a late
meeting of the Society held in Salt
Lake City I was present, and I read
from a record called the Book of
the Law of the Lord, the minutes
of that meeting. At that meeting
the Prophet called Sister Emma to
be an elect lady. That means that
she was called to a certain work ;
and that was in fulfilment of a cer-
tain revelation concerning her. She
was elected to preside over the Re-
lief Society, and she was ordained
to expound the Scriptures. In com-
pliance with Brother Joseph's request
I set her apart, and also ordained
Sister Whitney, wife of Bishop
Newel K. Whitney, and Sister
Cleveland, wife of Judge Cleveland,
to be her counselors. Some of the
sisters have thought that these sis-
ters mentioned were, in this ordina-
tion, ordained to the priesthood.
And for the information of all inter-
ested in this subject I will say, it is
not the calling of these sisters to
368
JOURNAL OF PISCOUKSSS.
hold the Priesthood, only in con-
nection with their husbands, they
being one with their husbands.
Sister Emma was elected to expound
the Scriptures, and to preside over
the Relief Society; then Sisters
Whitney and Cleveland were or-
dained to the same office, and I
think Sister Eliza R. Snow to be
secretary. A short time ago I at-
tended a meeting in Salt Lake City,
where Sister Snow and Sister Whit-
ney were set apart. I happened to
be the only member of the Twelve
in town at the time, the other mem-
bers of the Quorum being unavoid-
ably absent. I went to this meeting
and set apart Sister Whitney and
Sister Snow who were two of those
I set apart some forty years ago,
in Nauvoo. And after I had done
so, they reminded me of the coin-
cidence. At this meeting, however,
Sister Snow was set apart to preside
over the Relief Societies in the land
of Zion, and Sister Whitney her
counselor, with Sister Zin a D.Young,
her other counselor. I speak of this
for the information of the Sisters,
although I presume they may have
read of it in their paper, the
JExjjonent.
With regard to those Societies, I
will say, they have done a good
work and are a great assistance to
our Bishops, as v/ell as being pecu-
liarly adapted to console, bless, and
encourage those of their sisters who
need their care, and also to visit the
sick, as well as to counsel and in-
struct the younger women in the
things pertaining to their calling as
children and Saints of the Most High.
I am happy to say that we have a
great many honorable and noble
vromen engaged in these labors of
love, and the Lord blesses them in
their labors, and I bless them in the
name of the Lord. And 1 say to our
sister?:, continue to be diligent and
faithful in seeking the wellbeing
and happiness of your sex, instruct
and train your own daughters in the
fear of God, and teach your sisters
to do likewise, that we may be the
blessed of the Lord and our offspring
with us.
Our young people's Improvement
Associations are very creditable in-
stitutions, and the fruits of the
labors of those engaged in this work
are already manifesting themselves.
I feel in my heart to say, God bless
the young men and young women
of Israel ; let it be the desire of your
heartp to imitate the virtues of your
parents and of all good men and
women,* keeping your bodies and
spirits pure before God and man.
Then, we have our Sunday Schools,
and many of our brethren and sis-
ters in this direction are doing a
good work. I would advise the sup-
erintendents of Sunday Schools to
endeavor to collect the best talent
they can to teach and instruct our
children. What greater or more
honorable work can we be engaged
in than in teaching the children the
principles of salvation 1 You that
are diligent and that give your hearts
to these things God will bless, and
the day will come when the youth
of Israel will rise up and call you
blessed.
Then with regard to our common
schools, let us try to instruct our
youth as best we can, and get the
best of teachers, men and women of
intelligence and education who are
not only moral, but good Latter-day
Saints; men and women who are
not only capable of imparting to our
children the rudiments of education,
but who are also capable of teaching
them the laws of God as he has
revealed them for our guidance.
And when you get good teachers
you should appreciate them, and
you should co-operate with them
THE ORDER AND DUTII8 OF XHE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
SM
in their eni^rotB lo teaoh our
youth ; and then aee that they are
properly remiuievated for their ser^
vicee*
Some people talk about the fi;reat
ignorance of the "Mormons. In
regard to education we are the peers
of the United States. We, it is
troos do not possess suph notable
academies and universities as may
be found in the great centres of our
nation, but offieuJ figures show our
educational status to be above that
of the average of the United States.
And I may add, that our grade
of literacy is higher than that of
the nation. When we take into
consideration the fact that we have
not received one penny from any
outside source, while the leading
institutions of learning have real*
ijsed millions, yes scores of millions
of dollars to enable them to educate
their youth. This is something that
we have a right to be proud of.
Then let us Continue to encourage
education ; &nd let our trustees be
alive to suj^ly the school houses
with all tbe necessary charts and
books ; let them not feel niggardly
in regard to these things. And
above all, let everything we do con-^
S>ire to advance the interests of the
burch and Kingdom of God upon
the earth. ..
I feel like saying, Qod bless you,
my Inrethren and sisters. And Gk>d
bless Brother Budge, who is doing a
good work in Engbnd, and. who, by
the way, will be back. among, you
very shortly. And Gkid bless Brother
Hart and Brother Osmond, and the
High Council, and the: Bishons and
their counselors, and may Ood bless
the Elders and the Sereuties, and
the High Priests, togeiher with the
jEielief Societies aUd Mutual Im*
proVQ^ent iUsooiatioos ;: and may
£i9d Uess all men who loive. Israel,
sad who are desirous to ;keq) the
eommandments of God^i and the
No. 24
Lord help us to be true to our reE^
gion, and true to our Ood, and tru^
to our integrity, that we may hi
saved ultimately in the €elestiiit
Kingdom fo God. I ask it in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
ELDER BRASTUS SNOW
Then made the following Bemarks ;
I feel that we have had a feast (off
fat things this morning ; that tbo
remarks, made by President Taylort
have been replete with genuiaa
truths, and full of instruction and
counsel, and that blessing will abide
with all those who permit these in*
structions to find place in theix
hearts and understandings.
While President Taylor was treats
ing upon the order of the Priesthood,
the history of which has been giveli
in the Bible through Moses, and also
in certain revelations given unto
this Church through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, he awakened a traia
of reflection that carried the miB/d
back from the time of Moses tcr
that of Abraham, Noah, Enoch anil
Adam. Adam was the first maa
appointed of God as the ruler of tbd
earth ; to him it was said, thott
shalt have d<Mninion over the earti»
and over the things therein. And
as he began to mukiply and repleftf
ish the earth, and as his cluldren
and their fainilies increased in tha
land, there was a right of dominioit
given ; it was called the l^h-right^
and it belongs to the first-born of the
son& And this seems to have been
an order existing in the heaventf
even before Adam. Eor it is writtcn|
of Jesus, the Lamb of God, that ha
was the first-bom of many brethretttf
Moreover, his . rights of dominiosl
as. the first'boni continued witik
him because he loved righteonm
ness and hated iniquity ; ther«^Npi
was ' be anointed .with the oil ^
gladness above, hie fettows. Biit
Vol XXL
910
JOURN/UL OF mSCOURSKSi.
notwithstanding his birthright, had
he not loved righteousnesB and
bitted iniquity, and exeircised his
tights and his dominion in c(»inec-
tion with the powers of heaven and
the principles of righteousness, he
would not have been chosen nor
have received this anointing with
the oil of gladness above his fellows.
But because he did exercise it rightly
kad pleased his Father, he was
chosen, as was his right to have
been, or, I will say, liis privilege
rather, because he honored his birth-
tight, and, therefore, he was an-
ointcil above his fellows, and be-
caine the Chief Apostle, the High
Priest of our profession, the Son,
the mediator between us and the
Pather.
, The same principle fell upon
Adam's children; and hence Caiu,
being tlie firitt-bom of his father's
&mily, according to the Bible ac-
<sount, might have been the head of
this Piiesthood, under his father,
liolding the right by birth; but
instead of exerciadng his birthright
On the principles of righteousness,
md in accord with the powers of
heaven, he was befogged and under
itood not his true position ; and his
4»ifering was not accepted. But
Abel, his younger brother, who was
mee^ and lowly of heart, and who
sought the inspiration of the Spirit,
was led to bring as his offering the
firstlings of his flock, which were
S triie representation of the. Lamb
'Of God ; and besides^ the ofleringwas
made in the true spirit, of his min-
fatry and priesthood, therefore it
pleased the Father, and he accepted
itr Then when Cain found that his
o^enng was not accepted, and his
Incother, AbeFs was accepted, Satan
tempted him, and entered into him
find led him into the way of. all
.apostateSy-^he became possessed
tknth the ispirit of murder. I men^
Mm it AS t^ fint apostacy of whieh
' T ■••■'.'
«-l.4«-** • '4
I we have record after the fall of inan,
through it Cain lost his privilege as
first-born, and the blessing Ml on
one more worthy, and the rights of
the priesthood passed to the next
son of Adam, which according to
Bible record was Seth, who mag-
nified the Priesthood, honored his
birth-right, and held the blessing
of the Priesthood, which was sealed
upon him by his father ; and from
him it descended upon the righteous
of his posterity.
There are many instances, from
that time forward, of which the
scriptures speak of this birthright
continuing among the descendants
of Seth, until it came to Noah and
his sons, of which sons Shem re-
ceived the blessings pertaining to
the priesthood. Abraham came
through Shem, and the Savior
came through this lineage ; and
through this blessing of Noah upon
Shem, the Priesthood continued
through his seed ; while the off-
spring of Ham inherited a carse, and
it was because, 'as a levelation
teaches, some of the blood of Cain
became mingled mth that of Ham's
family, and hence they inherited that
curse.
Now we will pass by the places in
the Bible which speak of this birth-
right until we come to Isaac, the
son of Abraham, and to Jacob, the
son of Isaac, who bought the birth-
right of his brother Esau. From the
story that is told of Bebekah help-
ing, her son Jacob to get the first
blessing from his( father Isaac, on
purpose to secure the birthright from
his brother Esau, many would be
inclined to think that deceit, dishon-
esty and unrighteous means were
employed to secure it, and they per-
haps wonder why it should be so.
This was really not the case ; it is
only made to appear so in the eyes
of those who do not understand the
dealings of 'God with man, and th^
THE CNEU>ER AND DUTIES OF THE PKXESTHOOD. ETC.
371,
▼orkiiigsof the Holy Spirit to bring
about Bis pvrposes: ' There was
lather iHirighteousness ih Relbeknh'
sor in Jacob in this matter ; but on
the contrary, there was the wisdom
•f the Almighty, showing forth his
pKOvidenoes in guiding them in such
a manner as to bring about his pur-
poses, in influencing Esau to trans-
fer his birthright to Jacob, that He
might i«tify and confirm it upon
the head of Jacob ; knowing as He
did that Jacob and his seed were,
aad would be, more deserving of the
birthright, and would magnify it in
its true spirit While Esau did not
sense nor appreciate his condition
and birthright ; he did not ref^pect
it as he should have done, neither
did he hearken to the counsels of his
fither and mother. On the contrary,
he went his own way with a stubborn
will, and followed his own passions
and indinations and took to wife one
of the daughters of the Cannaanites
whom t^ Lord had not blessed :
9fid he therefore rendered himself
^uuicceptable to God and to his fa-
ther and mother. He gave himself
to wild pursuit8*-^to hunting, and
to following the ways of the Canaan-
^ and msjileased the Lord and
his parents, and was not worthy of
this light of seniarity. The Lord
therefore saw fit to take it from him,
and the mother was moved upon to
Help the younger son to bring about
%e purpose of the Lord, in securing
to himself the blesmng through the
legitimate channel of the Priesthood,
^d as yon know, his father was
induced to bless him and confirm
^ blessing upon him.
; ^ow, wliUst all these instances in
^riptiure r^eogniae the right called
^ birthright, that has descended
&om the beginning, the same prin-
^pie is exhibited in all those instan-
ts set forth in the revelation read
"T President Taylor — ^that none
^ hold these rights of the Priest-
hood except in cohnection with the
powers of heaven, and cannot be
exercised only on the principles pf
righteousness; and all whe fail to
exercise these rights on the princi-:
pies of righteousness and in connec-
tion with the powers of heaven
subject to its Counsels and directions
and laws, forfeit their birthright,^
and the right passes to another.
We have another instance of this
kind in Renben, the eldest of the
twelve sons of Jacob. We find that
the birthright passed from him. He
committed a transgression which
offended the Lord and offended his
father, and it was of such a charac-
ter that it could not be passed over
with impunity; and the birthright
was taken from him and given to
the sons of Joseph. We find it ex-
plained in Chronicles, that because
Reuben defiled his father's bed, the
birthright was taken from him and
given to the sons of Josseph ; and
the Priesthood was reckoned after
that lineage, though Judah prevailed
above his brethren to this extent,
that through him came the Chief
Ruler of Israel, while unto Ephraim,
the son of Joseph, was given the
kejs of the Priesthood — or those
rights that apply to the birthright
Of the two sons of Joseph— Eph-
raim and Manassah, the Lord saidj
Maiiassah shall be great, but Ephr
raim shall be greater than he ; and
he shall become a multitude in the
earth. And when the patriarch
was blessing Joseph's two sons,
though he was blind, he was careful
to cross his hands in blessing the
boys. Joseph observing what his
father was doing, informed him that
he was putting his right hand on
the heaa of the jrounger boy, but
the old man replied, I know it, my
son. The Spirit of the Lord
prompted him to do as he did —
to confer the greater blessing upon
Ephraim, the younger brother. It
372
JOURNAL or mSOOUBSBS.
was for this reiason that God spake
through the mouth of Jeremiah
eoacerning the gathering of Israel :
^*I am a father to Israel, and £ph-
raim is my first-horn." That is ac-
cording to his purposes. He acknow-
ledged and re-confirmed this birth-
right upon Ephraim the younger of
the two sons of Joseph^ when he.
referred i^o the dispensation of the
fullness of times and the ushering
in of its great work — when the Lord
should set his hand to gather His
people, and be a father to Israel,
even to Ephraim His firstborn.
Now, the Levitical Priesthood re-
ferred to was not a new Priesthood.
We do not understand it to be an
order of the Priesthood instituted at
the time Israel was in the wilder
ness of Sinai, but that it had been
from the beginning a part of the
Holy Priesthood, an appendage, or
a subdivision, or branch of the same
Priesthood. The rights of this de-
scended from father to son, among
the first-bom, unless the first45orn
failed to appreciate it and exercise it
in righteousness. In that event it
passed to one of the others.
We see the same principle set
forth when the Lord commanded
Moses to take the tribe of Levi and
set them apart to be Priests. He
told them the reason. Now, said
He, I have claimed the first-born of
HI the famiUes of Israel as my own.
When I sent forth my angel to smite
the first-born of the sons of Elgypt,
1 caused mine angel to pass by the
families of Israel, that he smite
not thieir first-bont In remem-
brance of this He instituted the
ordinance called the Passover, to
preserve in the minds of the Israel-
ites, the occasion wh^ the Lord
passed over their first-bom, while
the first-born of the sons of Eg3rpt
He caused to be slain. Fortius rea-
son, He said, I have oonficcrated th*
first-born a$ mine own.; luid now/
said He to.Moaes^i J^ifSi Jtake &ook
the tribes of Israel the house of Levi,^
and you ahall conaecKate them \»
officiate^ etc. This principle has con^
tinned from the beginning. Weses^
it exem^dified in the eallifig of thar
I^imb of Grod, who was the first bom;
among many brethren, and was in
aJl things . obedient to his Father^
who loved righteousness and hateck
iniquity, and t^as therefore tkoam
and anointed with the oil of gladness
above his fellows. So in after yean,
those who in like manner exercised
their birthright in connection with
the powers of heaven, and on tlid<
principles of virtue, integrity and;
righteousness had these rights eaof*
firmed upon him. But in no caMr*
when acting unrighteously, wenf
they chosen to receive the confiT'^
mation of the ordinances of tke^
Priesthood In the days of Eli, wh<^
permitted his sons, who were heiw
of the Priesthood^ to set bad exaio'
pies and work iniquities in Israalt'
God held the father responsible foF
their course, and He destroyed both
Eli and his sons^ and raised up ano^
ther in his place.
The article read in your heariiij^
from the Doctrine and Cbvenanti^
shows most clearly that the rights
and blessings and keys of thisPriesiH
hood can only be held and exercised'
in connection with the powers or
heaven and on the principles of
righteousness. It is mo^ beautiful
to contemplate. It is like apples of
gold in pLetures of silver.
And that Grod may enab
preserve these thing in out le us ^
and that we may. atUin to hearts :
He has prepared for us, is ttD tb^
est prayeir, in the name my eam«^
Am^i* of JdStu^^
ii . ' .-
OPPOSITION TO THE WORK OF GOD, ETC.
m
. »
DISCOUESB BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivsbbd at the GENSBiiL CJomTBKENCB, Salt Lajlb City, Tuesdat i
Afternoon, Oct. 7th, 1879.
(Reported by Geo, F, Gibbs.)
OPPOSITION TO THE WORK OF GOD, ETC.
[Owing to press of important
business the publication of tnis dis-
course has been delayed. Its con-
tents will be found as valuable to-
day as when it was delivered. — ^Ed-
D.E.N.1
I will state to the Conference that
we have no financial account to pre-
dent, because we do not get our
returns from the various Stakes
Dntil the close ot each year j in con-
sequence of this we find it imprac-
ticable to present a satisfactory ac-
count to the Greneral Conference
oftener than once a year.
The Lord has given us a certain
work to accomplish ; and the feel-
ings or ideas of men in the world
in relation to this work have but
little to do with us. We are gath-
ered here for the express purpose of
building up the Clmrch and Kang-
dom of God upon the earth. We
are endeavoring to do this — that is,
a great many of the people are, to
the very best of their ability ; and
ive consider ourselves regponsible to
God for the action we take and for
&e course we pursue in relation to
the fulfilment of His purposes. We
fhink tbat in building Temples,
sending the Gospel to the nations of
Hhp earth and prosecuting our other
laboris that we ate carrying out the
word and will, and the commands at
God. Yet it not unfrequently hap^
pens, that when we are doing our»
very best to promote correct prin-r
ciplcs among ourselves, as well as tor
spread them abroad, even to all qak
tions, that we meet with determined
and unrelenting opposition. Tidm
we cannot help. We do n6t seek iV
but we do not fear it.
There has existed a principle o£
antagonism ever since the dawn of
creation, namely, the powers of Goi
have been opposed by the poweiai
of the Evil One. Satan and wicked
men have operated to subvert tba
plans and designs of Jehovah. And
if we have a little of such opposition
to contend with in our day, there iM
nothing new in it The n:iartyk
Stephen when arraigned before '' tbft
Council*' to answer to a ch^ge c&
blasphemy, said, "Which of tha
prophets have not your fathers peiK
secuted ) and they have slain thenn
which showed before of the coming
of the Just One ; of whom ye baviQi
been now the betrayers and murders
ers." We have always expected thafi
there would be a spirit of antagomsnt
to the Church and Kingdom of Grod,-
and our Elders have bean ^telling ui^
more or less, ^d^ring. the last fifbjt
years^ that this fj^elipg; still eadsted
J74
JOURNAL OK DISCOURSES.
and, indeed, every now and then,
we have occasion to believe then: ;
or, to use an old saying, " The devil
is not dead yet ;" and he uses his
influence now, as in former days, to
oppose the principles that God has
revealed.
We are gathered here from many
nations in order that God may plant
among us the principles and laws of
eternal lives ; that we may operate
in the Priesthood with the holy men
who held it in former ages, and with
God the Father, and with Jesus the
Mediator, and with the holy angels
in the interests of mankind, not
only in things pertaining to ourselves
inkiividually, but in those that con-
cern the whole world ; not only to
the people that now live, but also
to those who have lived ; lor the
^ans of God reach back into eter-
Aity and forward into eternity, and
we are being taught and instructed
Ijirough the holyMelchisedek Priest-
hoocl, which holds now, as in past
ages, the keys of the mysteiies of
ilh) revelations of God. It is our
privilege to operate through this
<a?der, with men who have held the
game keys and possessed the same
powers arid have had the same com-
ikittincation with God, and who have
looked forward to the time, with.
jbyful anticipation, that we now live
in, namely, to the dispensation of
tile IVilness of times. For this pur-
^se we are gathered together, for
tiiis purpose we are building Tem-
pietf according to the order and reve-
lation s of God — for. until He revealed
tlliese things to ud we knew nothiii^
abdQt them. And the world of
mankind to-day know nothing about
Temples and their us«s. If we were
to build Temples for them according
to the order of God, ^ley would not
know how to administer in them;
lieitherebuld we know had the Lotd
iot revealed to us how to do it,
which he did through the Prophet
Joseph. We are acting upon this
revealed knowledge to-day, seeking
to carry out the will, the designs
and the purposes of God, in the
interest of common humanity, not
for a few people only, not for the
people of the United States only,
nor for those of two or three na-
tions, but for the people of the whole
world. And the hearts of the people
are being drawn after these princi-
ples ; or, in other words, the hearts
of the children are being turned
towards the fathers, as well as the
hearts of the fathers tpwards the
children.
The spirit that is being manifested
in the various Stakes of Zion is very
creditable in this respect to the Lat-
ter-day Saints. And we purpose*
God being our helper, apd the devil
not hindering us, to go on with our
work, to build our Temples and to
administer in them and to act as the.
friends of God upon the earth.. And
if we are not His friends, He has
none, for there is no people any-
where, except the Latter-day Saints,
who will listen to His laws — and as
•
they say sometimes, " it's a tight
squeeze" for us to do it The ques-
tion is. Shall we falter in our calcu-
lations ; I think not ; but I think
we will say, as the ancient servant
of God said to a man wlio was seek-
ing to hinder the progress of the
bnijding of a Temple to the Lord!
of Hosts : "I ain doing a great
work ; hinder me not." We are
doing a great work, and we would,
say to our outside friends and id
people generally who are npt. con-^
versant with our affairs, will you ba
so kind as to let u^ alone f^nd hinder
us not ;. so that we may go on.witk
our labor of love in the common in-
\ terests of humanity ^nd in our!
efforts io promote the welfare ot the^
[ world at large.
OPPOSITION TO THJB WORK 07 ODD, ETC.
375
This is one thing we: have to do,
and we will try to do tt, the Lord
being oar helper.
Then another thing we are called
Upon to do is to preach the Gospel
td every- creature tiiroughout the
world. " Why, the peopie will op-
gwe youl" That they always did.
ut Jesus said, and I wil] say by
way of repeating His words — for
they are as trtie torday as they wei-e
in His day — " Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and. shall say all manner of evil
agiiinst you falsely, for my sake.
Sejoice, and be exceeding glad, for
great is your reward iu heaven ; for
80 persecuted they the prophets
which N^ere before you." There*
fore we need not be troubled about
it When we first started out in
this work we never looked for any-
thing else, and we have not lookeii
xa vain either ; we have found an
abundance of it, and we have com-
mence'l to regard it as a natural
thing. But we must not foi^et
that we owe a duty to the world.
Xhe Lord has given to us the light
Of eterniuy ; and we are commanded
not to conceal our light under a
jbnshel, bat on the contrary we
should let it shin^ Ibrth as a city set
ppon a liiU that cannot be hid. We
lieed not try to get into an out-ot-
the-way comer from the gaze of the
public eye, for we cannot. We
thought we had wandered a loiig
Way from civilisation when we came
here ; but, according to the remarkii
of the speakers this morning, a cer-
tain degree of it has followed us, and
We are not quite out of it yet. But
there are some things we can do.
We will let them pursue theircourse,
and we will ask them, if they will
^ so good and so kind as to let us
Worship God according to the
^ctates of our consciences. This
is not a very great boon to ask
of anybody. Still we do ask that
we iday be permitted, in this land
of liberty, in this land which we
call the home of the brave and
the land of the free ; the asylum
of the oppressed of all nations,*
we ask that we may have the
simple privilege of worshiping God
accor<ling to the dictates of our owi^
consciences. Then, while they are
trying to injure us, we will try to
do them good. We will teach them
good (>rinciples at home, and we will
send the Gospel abroad. And the
kind of men we want as bearers of
this Gospel message are men who
have Faith in God ; men who have
faitli in their religion ; men who
honor their Priesthood ; men in
whom thi? people who know them
have faith and in whom God has
couiidence, and not some poor un-
fortunate beings who are wanted to
leave a place because they 6anno6
live in it ; but \tq want men full of
the Holy Ghost and the power of
God tiiat tliey may go forth weeping
bearing precious seed and sowing
tli>e seeds of eternal life, and then
returning with gladness, bringing
their sheaves with them. Tliese
are the kind of men we want
We do not want the names of men
of the former class presented to us
to go on missions ; if they are and
we find it out, we shall not send
them ; for such men cannot go
with. our fellowship and good iJeeliug;
Men who bear the words of life
among, the nations, ought to be men
of honor, integrity, virtue and pu-
rity ; and this being the command
ot God to us, we shall try and carry
it out.
iSome imagine that we have al-
most got through with our work ;
when the truth of the matter is, we
have hardly commenced yet. Here
is Brother Joseph Young, who re-
presents the Seventies, — Brother
876
JOVBliAL OF DtlSQOUBSBS.
Joseph, how many Serenties ate
there enrolled) [Brother Young
relied that there were 5,320]. I am
told that there are 5,320 Seventies ;
we expect to call upon a great many
of these men to go ahroad and pro-
claim the fulness of the Gospel
We received a small order lately —
you know, we talk hnsiness some-
times— ^for forty missionaries to go
and labor in one place ; they did not
send the money to pay their fares ;
but then, we have the missionaries,
and we wiU trust in God for our pay
and we shall get it if we are found
doing His WiU and carrying out Hia
purposes.
Again, another duty we have to
do is to preserve the order of Gtod
among ourselves. And here is a
great responsibility resting upon the
Presidents of Stakes and Uieir Coun-
selors, and upon the Bishops and
their Counselors, and upon all men
holding authority in the Church and
Kingdom of God, and upon the
Twelve specially, to see that the
order of God is carried out, and that
iniquity does not exist among the
Saints of the Most High God.
We talk sometimes about the out-
side world, and we sometimes in^-
dulge in casting reflections upon
them — and there is plenty of room
for it, no doubt ; but then, what of
ourselves ! What do we do ) Do
not our own members keep some of
the very saloons we talk about 1 and
do not we engage in this business
beeause we are afraid somebody else
will 1 Why, that is the argument
of the thie£ He says, <' If I do
not steal, somebody else will," But^
besides, say these brethren, "W^
want to set a living." Bat befora
I would live in that way, I would
die and make an end of it ; I wouM
not be mixed up with such concernn
nor have any haaid in them, bixt
pursue another and more honorable
course to get a living than in sedc-
ing to put the cup to the mouth ^
the drunkard and in leading oti
youth and others who may be is^
clined that way, in the path timt
leads to death. What else do w#
do ? Why some of us Elders, an4
some of us High Priests and Seven-
ties, frequent these places and get
drunk and disgrace ourselves and
our families, and the people wi<&
whom we are associated. And whaK
else do we do % We are commanded
to remember the Sabbath day to
keep it holy ; and yet we find HM
our trains leave this city every Sab^
bath, until the weather gets too cold
to bathe, carrying many of our peo^
pie, who indulge in all kinds of
amusements and thus violate the
Sabbath, which we are commanded
to keep holy, whioh many respectably
Gentiles would never think of doiiig:!
And yet you are Latterniay Saiali^
are you? You are a good peopb)
and you will talk about the gift Of
the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of
Qoi being in you, while you a^
violating Some of the plainest every^
day principles * of the Grospel <lf
Christ . : -l
(CONTINUED OK 1st page JOXTRNAL OF DISCOURSES, VOL. XXH.) '.
. t ■
■ff
J